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The linguistic correlates of conversational deception: Comparing natural language processing technologies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 June 2010

NICHOLAS D. DURAN ,
CHARLES HALL ,
PHILIP M. MCCARTHY  and
DANIELLE S. MCNAMARA
NICHOLAS D. DURAN*
Affiliation:
University of Memphis
CHARLES HALL
Affiliation:
University of Memphis
PHILIP M. MCCARTHY
Affiliation:
University of Memphis
DANIELLE S. MCNAMARA
Affiliation:
University of Memphis
*
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE Nicholas Duran, Department of Psychology, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

The words people use and the way they use them can reveal a great deal about their mental states when they attempt to deceive. The challenge for researchers is how to reliably distinguish the linguistic features that characterize these hidden states. In this study, we use a natural language processing tool called Coh-Metrix to evaluate deceptive and truthful conversations that occur within a context of computer-mediated communication. Coh-Metrix is unique in that it tracks linguistic features based on cognitive and social factors that are hypothesized to influence deception. The results from Coh-Metrix are compared to linguistic features reported in previous independent research, which used a natural language processing tool called Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count. The comparison reveals converging and contrasting alignment for several linguistic features and establishes new insights on deceptive language and its use in conversation.

Type
Articles
Information
Applied Psycholinguistics , Volume 31 , Issue 3 , July 2010 , pp. 439 - 462
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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