The deterrence of deception through imposing cognitive load

Abstract In the present two experiments we examined whether imposing cognitive load, and making the interview setting more mentally taxing, can deter people from lying. Most liars will incorporate as much truth as possible into their story. When an interview setting becomes more difficult, this may result in refraining from lying altogether. Eighty-three (Experiment 1) and 80 (Experiment 2) participants took part in a job interview, whereby participants in the experimental condition carried out a secondary task simultaneously. In Experiment 1, participants lied less in the experimental condition by mentioning job specification criteria they did not possess, but this finding was not replicated in Experiment 2