Mapping the Information Flow Within Deceptive Messages: A Test of the IM Propositions of IMT2

This paper presents results from the first formal empirical test of Information Manipulation Theory 2 (IMT2). Specifically, two hypotheses were posited based upon three of the information manipulation (IM) propositions of IMT2. First, we predicted that a systematic rank ordering should be observable regarding the frequency of various types of information manipulation within deceptive messages; such that Gricean Quality violations are more frequent than Manner violations, which in turn occur more often than Relation violations. Second, we predicted that as the contextual problematicity of specific information units increases, so too should the likelihood of Quality violations related to the message production of these units. Two different data collections from two different institutions were conducted. Results from analyses of these data confirmed both hypotheses. Additionally, using the UCM method of unitizing and coding message data, we were able to identify the specific units of information within messages that were most likely to be falsified, thereby confirming the general premise of IMT2: the single strongest determinant of whether someone will deceive is the nature of the information they possess in working and long-term memory.