Date of Conferral

7-2-2026

Date of Award

July 2026

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Clinton Jenkins

Abstract

Deception detection in forensic and legal settings has historically relied on behavioral and nonverbal cues. Extensive research has demonstrated that these indicators are unreliable and prone to bias. This reliance has a significant impact on investigations, legal outcomes, and public trust. Although linguistic research has identified individual markers of deceptive speech, limited attention has been given to how multiple linguistic cues interact in real-world, high-stakes contexts. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how pronoun shifts, avoidance language, and equivocation cluster together during high-stakes deceptive speech. Truth-default theory (TDT) served as the theoretical foundation, and critical discourse analysis (CDA) guided the conceptual and methodological framework. The research questions focused on how speakers in high-stakes contexts use pronoun shifts and on how avoidance language and equivocation appear when deceptive statements are presented. Publicly available transcripts from high-stakes environments in which speakers were later found to have provided deceptive information were examined using a qualitative design. Transcripts were analyzed using line-by-line coding to identify pronoun shifts, avoidance language, and equivocation. The study aimed to identify recurring linguistic patterns in statements to guide where further questioning should be directed. This research may contribute to positive social change by supporting a simple, transparent, speech-based approach to examining deceptive communication, reducing reliance on subjective behavioral judgments, and limiting the influence of personal bias in investigative and legal contexts.

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