In interview practice, how do deceptive and truthful subjects' responses to behavior evoking questions compare?

• A. They are much the same
• B. Deceptive subjects respond more slowly
• C. Truthful subjects respond with more detail
• D. Deceptive subjects stay silent

Answer: (A)

Responses to behavior-evoking questions tend to be similar for deceptive and truthful subjects. The idea is that when questions focus on actions someone actually performed, both groups can provide fluent, coherent accounts with comparable levels of detail. Truthful recounts are genuine but can be rehearsed or well-constructed, while deceptive ones are crafted to appear plausible and consistent. As a result, the speed, fluency, and amount of detail are not reliable indicators of deception in this context, so their responses often look alike. The other options imply clear, consistent differences—slower responses, more detail, or silence—that aren’t reliably observed with behavior-evoking questions in interview practice.