Linking Love and Lies: A Formal Test of the Mccornack and Parks Model of Deception Detection

Abstract

This paper reports a replication and extension of the McCornack & Parks model of relational deception detection which argued that the association between relational involvement and accuracy in detecting deception is mediated by judgmental confidence and truth-bias; and that relational involvement, confidence, truth-bias and accuracy form a causal chain. Recent research testing some of these links has yielded results which cast doubt upon the validity of the model. Moreover, research examining suspicion has raised questions concerning the generalizability of the model across various levels of aroused suspicion. The present study represents the first rigorous path-analytic test of the model, as well as a test of the model's generalizability. Testing the model in a sample of ninety romantically involved couples, this study found unqualified support for the model as it was originally specified. In addition, the model seems to be generalizable across levels of aroused suspicion. The implications of the model for research on relationships are discussed.