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Updated: Mar 3, 2026
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An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime
Published on: May 3, 2016
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More intelligent extraverts are more likely to deceive.
Justyna Sarzyńska1,2, Marcel Falkiewicz3,4, Monika Riegel5
1Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
Plos One
|April 28, 2017
Summary
Personality and intelligence significantly influence lying frequency. Intelligent individuals, particularly extraverts low in agreeableness, are more prone to lying, suggesting intelligence mediates personality
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Lying is a common human behavior often linked to personality traits.
- The role of cognitive abilities in deception has been under-researched in healthy adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between cognitive abilities, personality traits, and the propensity to lie.
- To determine if intelligence influences the frequency of deceptive behavior.
Main Methods:
- Three studies were conducted with participants who had the choice to be honest or lie.
- Cognitive abilities and personality differences were assessed and correlated with lying frequency.
Main Results:
- Both personality traits and cognitive abilities are significant predictors of lying.
- Individuals low in agreeableness and intelligent extraverts were found to lie more frequently.
- Intelligence may mediate the association between specific personality traits and deception.
Conclusions:
- Personality traits and intelligence are crucial factors in understanding why some individuals lie more often.
- Intelligence appears to play a mediating role, influencing how personality traits manifest in deceptive behaviors.
- While personality provides general tendencies, intelligence and environmental factors shape the boundaries of behavior.
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