Cues to Catching Deception in Interviews: A Brief Overview

In the field of terrorism research, the task of collecting empirical data by interviewing terrorists, former terrorists, and other extremists presents a host of serious methodological dilemmas. One obvious challenge understood by researchers and law enforcement officials alike is the possibility that the interviewee will attempt to engage in deception, which many fear is more acute in this context than in many other social domains. Whether in the form of misrepresentation of facts, selective recall, or outright lying, such deception may deeply hinder a researcher’s analysis and skew his or her conclusions. Therefore, how does one detect and respond to deception in an interview?