Abstract

The relationship of individual differences, perceptions of lying in everyday life and perceptions of lying in a high stakes scenario (plagiarism at University) was investigated. It was expected that the personality constructs of Acting, Manipulativeness, Impression Management and Sociability would be positively related to a perceived ability to lie in everyday life and in a high stakes scenario, and that the construct of Anxiousness would be negatively related to the perceived ability to lie in everyday life and in a high stakes scenario. Undergraduate students (n=265) were administered five personality construct measures, and a series of questions and statements concerning perceptions of lying in everyday life and in a high stake situation. In everyday life, there were significant findings for Acting and Manipulativeness in relation to perceptions of experiencing little guilt and mental effort whilst lying, experiencing duping delight, finding lying easy and that the lies are undetectable. Significant findings were also yielded for Anxiousness and Sociability, in relation to perceptions of feeling guilty and of manipulating others while lying. The hypotheses regarding Impression Management was rejected. In the high stake scenario there were significant findings for Manipulativeness in relation to the perceptions of feeling comfortable (before, during and after) the lie, being believed by the target of the lie and perceiving the situation better dealt with a lie rather than the truth, and Anxiousness in relation to planning the lie and being uncomfortable while lying. They hypotheses regarding Acting, Sociability and Impression Management were rejected. The implications for future research on individual differences and deceptive behaviour are discussed.