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Synergology's“FalseNO”responsetheory:TestingandImplicationsofa
PseudoScientificBeliefAboutDeception
HuguesDelmas
1,2,3
,BenjaminElissalde
4
,VincentDenault
5,6
,
NicolasRochat
2,3
,SamuelDemarchi
2
,CharlesTijus
3
,IsabelUrdapilleta
2
1
ADNResearch
2
LAPPS(LaboratoireParisiendePsychologieSociale,UniversitéParis8)
3
CHArt(LaboratoiredeCognitionsHumaineetArtificielle,UniversitéParis8)
4
DCPJ(DirectionCentraledelaPoliceJudiciaire)
5
DepartementofCommunicationoftheUniversityofMontréal
6
CESCNOV(Centred'étudesensciencesdelacommunicationnonverbale)
Synergology is defined as a method to decipher body language. Eventhough it’s considered a
pseudoscience, police officers and lawyers received training in synergology. According to
synergology proponents, the veracity of a negation can be assessed through head movements. If
someone says “no” with the head turning to the right first, it’s a “false NO” (say “no” but think
“yes”). Conversely, the head turning to the left first is a “true NO” (say “no” and think “no”). This lie
cue’saccuracywasempiricallytested.
Forty participants were instructed to watch a video of a robbery as if they were the robber. To better
involve participants, experimenters handed them a bag of money to hide in their pocket. Then, a
police investigator interviewed the participants and asked them all the same 13 questions. Three
questions invited them to lie by answering “no”. This experimental material was previously used in
Delmasetal.(2014).Interviewswererecordedandheadmovementswerecoded.
Results showed that head movements associated with a “no” were at random for the three false
responses. Consequently, the “false NO” doesn’t assess the veracity of a negation. Implications of this
beliefonprofessionaltrainingandinvestigativeinterviewingwillbediscussed.