In cognitive psychology, why are people generally not very accurate at detecting whether someone is lying?

• A. Because people have an innate ability to detect lies with high accuracy
• B. Because lying is extremely rare in everyday social interactions
• C. Because most people rely on stereotypes and misleading cues rather than valid indicators of deception
• D. Because liars always display obvious physical signs that are easy to spot

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the question is about why people are generally inaccurate at detecting lies in cognitive psychology.
2. Recognize that the question tests knowledge of common misconceptions about lie detection, such as believing in obvious physical signs or innate abilities.
3. Recall that research shows people often rely on stereotypes or misleading cues (like nervousness or avoiding eye contact) which are not reliable indicators of deception.
4. Note that lying is actually quite common in social interactions, so rarity is not the reason for inaccuracy.
5. Conclude that the main reason for poor accuracy is the reliance on invalid cues rather than valid, evidence-based indicators of deception.