I'm not lying.....honest!

There are days when I swear my daughter could pass a lie-detector test. She's always been one of these "creative" kids who will think up a quick story instead of telling the truth. Even for ordinary, everyday day stuff.

For example:
Me: Did you bring your planner home from school?
Her: My teacher said I wasn't supposed to bring it home every day.
Me: Oh. Because two days ago, your teacher wrote a note in it that you are supposed to bring it home every night and get it signed, and bring it to school the following day.
Her: That's for everyone else, not me.

Crazy eh?

Here's another example:

Me: Did you clean up all the Lego pieces on your bedroom floor that you were playing with?
Her: Yes.
Me: When I check, what will I find?
Her: I'm not lying, honest.
Me: Then I wonder how all that Lego escaped the box and got all over your floor?
Her: It was him. (Meaning her brother who has been over at a friend's house all day.)
Me: Well I guess you should clean it up now.

Do you ever watch the show "Lie to Me" starring Tim Roth? I want some of those skills in reading people to detect if they're truthful or not.

Here's some things I learned.
- people don't usually fidget or look away when they're lying (so much for the eye contact thing)
- Less blinking, more pauses in talking, vocal tension, pupil dilation, chin raise and nervousness don't consistently mean someone is lying.
- it's difficult to detect lies in people we know well and that we like, because we tend to trust them to be truthful

So how can I tell if someone is lying to me? Well here's some tips I picked up from a psychology blog...
- Individual differences are key. Some people's natural behaviour looks honest while others' natural behaviour doesn't. This won't tell you whether each is lying. E.g. introverts or socially nervous people tend to look as though they're lying when they're not. The way to do it is using comparisons. It's possible to spot falsehoods when they are compared with truthful statements.
- Micro-expressions. Good lie detectors can pick up on tiny facial movements that give away lies. The problem is that they're 'micro' so they're difficult to detect.
- Vocal inflection can be vital. There's evidence it's easier to detect lies just from the voice. The eyes are relatively easy to control and it can be better if we can't see them.
- Rely on intuition. People may be better at detecting lies with their intuition. Implicit or broadly unconscious processes can be more effective than conscious directed thought.
- Lying is hard work. Lying can place high cognitive demands on an individual - putting more pressure on a suspected liar can help with detection.

Hmmmm....what do they mean by "more pressure"? Water torture? (That wouldn't work - the kid already takes too long in the shower - my water bill is high enough!)
Bamboo under the finger nails? (She doesn't have any fingernails. And I don't have any bamboo.) Have her sit on a chair in a dark room with a bright light aimed at her? (There goes my electric bill.)

Oh wait....I heard about this technique that they use at Guantanamo Bay for suspected terrorists. It's dangerous, and although it doesn't work with everyone there it has proven quite effective for hard core liars.

It's called...losing your TV and computer privileges and having to be my helper for cleaning the house.