Truth or deception: the impact of videoconferencing for job interviews

Abstract

During the experiment, 28 “interviewers” each interviewed two different “applicants,” where one was deceptive and the other told the truth. Half of the interviews were done face-to-face and half using desktop video-conferencing equipment. When forced to compare and choose who was more honest between the two applicants, interviewers were accurate in their choice. A significant direct effect of medium on detection of deception was not found. However, communication medium affected perceived eye contact and mental workload, both of which were found to significantly affect detection accuracy. This study will be of interest to companies beginning to use videoconferencing for job interviews and to scholars engaged in research on person perception in the video context.