Learning to Spot Lies: A Case Club Session at BelSU

As part of the “University Wednesday” educational series, practicing psychologist Sergey Shkilev, an Associate Professor in the Department of Developmental and Social Psychology at Belgorod National Research University (BelSU), led a case club session dedicated to one of the most captivating topics in modern psychology: “The Anatomy of a Lie: An Analysis of the Psychological Mechanisms of Deception.”

During the session, Shkilev shared several effective methods for detecting deceitful behaviour through both verbal and nonverbal cues.

“When a person focuses on auditory signals and facial expressions, they become the best lie detector,” he explained.

Shkilev introduced senior students to various scientifically proven methods of lie detection, including innovative approaches that analyse responses from the oculomotor system, such as eye movement amplitude and blink rate. The discussion also examined nonverbal behaviours in situations where true and false information is conveyed.

In addition to the theoretical insights, participants explored practical applications of scientific knowledge in the psychology of lying. Students took part in a series of training exercises designed to enhance their skills in lie detection and deepen their understanding of manipulative behaviour. This interactive experience encouraged lively dialogue with the psychologist, allowing each participant to test their abilities in identifying deception and manipulation.

During the session, Yulia Polyakova and Valeria Mironenko, assistant teachers in the same department, utilized contemporary films to highlight indicators of deception and analyse scientifically validated methods for recognizing it. Together with the students, they demonstrated skills for identifying deceit and discussed the development of defence mechanisms against manipulation.

The meeting concluded with a master class by Sergey Shkilev on identifying mechanisms of deception through facial expression analysis. He demonstrated to randomly selected participants how a step-by-step analysis of psychological characteristics can lead to immediate detection of deception or manipulation at both verbal and nonverbal levels.

Overall, the event provided a positive experience for the psychology students, offering them a fresh perspective on social desirability and equipping them with new techniques for detecting and countering lies.

According to Ekaterina Guskova, Acting Head of the Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, these case club meetings effectively bridge scientific theory with practical application, fostering growth not only for students but also for faculty members in the department.