Looks like a liar? Beliefs about native and non‐native speakers' deception

Summary We examined whether observers' beliefs about deception were affected by a speaker's language proficiency. Laypersons (N = 105) and police officers (N = 75) indicated which nonverbal and verbal behaviors were predictive of native versus non‐native speakers' deception. In addition, they provided their beliefs about these speakers' interrogation experiences. Participants believed that native and non‐native speakers would exhibit the same cues to deception. However, they did predict that non‐native speakers would likely face several challenges during interrogations (e.g., longer interrogations and difficulties understanding the interrogator's questions). Police officers and laypersons also differed in their beliefs about cues to deception and interrogation experiences.