Main content
Replication of Suchotzki & Gamer 2018 Experiment 2 /
The language of lies: A preregistered direct replication of Suchotzki and Gamer (2018; Experiment 2)
Date created: | Last Updated:
: DOI | ARK
Creating DOI. Please wait...
Category: Project
Description: Is lying in a different language easier or more difficult? The Emotional Distance and the Cognitive Load hypothesis give competing answers. Suchotzki and Gamer (2018; hereafter SG18) measured the time native German speakers needed to initiate honest and deceptive answers to German and English questions. Lie-truth difference in RTs were smaller in the non-native compared to the native language, d = .97, 95%CI [.58; 1.35]. In our preregistered replication, we tested native Dutch speakers in Dutch and English. While the observed effect was smaller, d = .54 [95% CI: .27, .80], we also found that foreign language use diminishes lie-truth differences in RTs, because primarily truth telling is impeded by foreign language use The findings indicate that non-native speakers struggle with quickly retrieving the truth, hampering lie-truth discrimination for statements in non-native language. Caution should be exerted when judging the credibility of statements given in non-native language.