Course Catalogue

Note: This course was originally a module of the 'Investigative Communication' course that was first released in October 2004. 'Investigative Communication' has now been re-organized into three separate short courses: The Theory of Truth and Deception, The Theory of Communication and Memory, and Interviewing.

Certain aspects of effective communication, such as developing skills for detecting when someone is being truthful or deceptive, are often omitted during training. It is a fact that people lie to the police and it cannot be assumed that every person who reports a crime, or is being interviewed, is being totally honest. Law enforcement officers must be both impartial and skilled at detecting deception.

Improving skills to differentiate between truth and deception requires recognition of the importance of communication, an understanding of basic interviewing concepts, and a desire to become a proficient investigator. With practice, the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to obtain information become more developed and the ability to read verbal, nonverbal, and paralinguistic indicators of deceit become enhanced.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course you will be able to:

• Describe deception and why being able to identify it is an important investigative tool
• Identify "high stakes" situations that cause deception, the type of deception used and the techniques used to alleviate the fears of truthful people
• Explain how deception affects the body cognitively, emotionally and behaviourally
• Identify ways in which deception can be detected
• Explain how deception affects the body physiologically
• Identify interviewing strategies that will help you detect deception
• Identify the factors that cause individuals to exhibit deception differently

Content Provider

Content for this course was developed by the RCMP.

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