Our Research
The Truth and Trust Lab at University of British Columbia studies whether humans can accurately discriminate friend from foe, how this process unfolds, and the conditions under which we are persuaded to place our trust in others. We utilize ethologically rich stimuli and diverse methods - including nonverbal behavioral coding, implicit cognitive tests, psychophysiological and neuroendocrine reactions - to understand how trust, affiliation, and influence unfold in the real-world.
Typically, our research falls into three primary areas:
Typically, our research falls into three primary areas:
Telling LiesWhat verbal and nonverbal behaviours discriminate liars from truth-tellers in real, high-stakes situations? How do deceptive emotional expressions differ from genuine ones?
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Trusting OthersCan people naturally detect lies and untrustworthy individuals? Do people have distinct physiological, emotional, and cognitive responses to liars versus truth-tellers?
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Power and InfluenceWhat traits do people look for in a leader? How are people persuaded to place their trust in a leader? What types of leaders - the virtuous or the vicious - are most effective?
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