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Attempting to detect a lie: do we think it through?

Author

Listed:
  • Julia Jawer

    (Aarhus University)

  • Hedda Nielsen

    (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)

  • Georg Weizsäcker

    (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)

Abstract

Game-theoretic analyses of communication rely on beliefs—especially, the receiver’s belief about the truth status of an utterance and the sender’s belief about the reaction to the utterance—but research that provides measurements of such beliefs is still in its infancy. Our experiment examines the use of second-order beliefs, measuring belief hierarchies regarding a message that may be a lie. In a two-player communication game between a sender and a receiver, the sender knows the state of the world and has a transparent incentive to deceive the receiver. The receiver chooses a binary reaction. For a wide set of non-equilibrium beliefs, the reaction and the receiver’s second-order belief should dissonate: she should follow the sender’s statement if and only if she believes that the sender believes that she does not follow the statement. The opposite is true empirically, constituting a new pattern of inconsistency between actions and beliefs.

Suggested Citation

  • Julia Jawer & Hedda Nielsen & Georg Weizsäcker, 2025. "Attempting to detect a lie: do we think it through?," International Journal of Game Theory, Springer;Game Theory Society, vol. 54(1), pages 1-23, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jogath:v:54:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1007_s00182-025-00930-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s00182-025-00930-w
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Strategic information transmission; Lying; Higher-order beliefs;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D01 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Microeconomic Behavior: Underlying Principles
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness

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