The study examined whether cognitive processing style (intuitive vs analytical) affects expressions of racial bias in judgments of truthfulness. Participants viewed a video of a Black or White inmate recounting their arrest and were instructed to use intuitive or analytical thinking. It was hypothesized that analytical thinking would show greater truth bias overall, and that both cognitive styles could produce pro-White/anti-Black bias, though through different mechanisms. Results provided some evidence of racial bias and that processing style may influence lie detection judgments and racial bias expression. Accounts were seen as more truthful under analytical thinking, and analytical participants viewing a Black target expressed greater confidence in deceit judgments.

1. Introduction
Analytical Versus Intuitive Thinking and Racial Bias in Judgment of Truthfulness
Study Overview
Our Research Question
• Does cognitive processing style affect the expression of racial bias in lie detection?
o To examine this research question, we instructed participants to use either an
intuitive or analytical approach to making lie detection judgments about a
Black or White male inmate recounting his arrest in a video.
Hypotheses
1. Racial Bias Prediction: Blacks will be seen as more untrustworthy and deceptive
than Whites in a criminal setting due to the activation of racial stereotypes.
2. Cognitive Processing Style Prediction: Participants will show greater truth bias
when using analysis versus intuition (Ask, Greifeneder, & Reinhard, 2012).
3. Racial Bias x Cognitive Processing Style Prediction
a) Intuition Prediction: Participants using intuition will be more likely to judge the
Black target as deceptive due to the use of heuristics in a stereotypical context
that involves quick decisions.
b) Analysis Prediction: Participants using analysis will be more likely to judge
the Black target as deceptive due to the use of confirmatory-hypothesis testing
in a stereotypical context that involves deliberative decisions.
Though past research has documented how race can bias decisions in the legal
system, its influence on lie detection has surprisingly received little attention (Rand,
2000). We investigated whether race would affect perceptions of lie detection in a
criminal setting, and if so, whether such bias would be moderated by cognitive
processing style. Participants in our experiment were instructed to use an intuitive or
analytical approach to form an impression of a Black or White male inmate, rate the
veracity of his arrest account, and provide the confidence level of their judgments.
We predicted that cognitive processing style would interact with target race to
produce a pro-White/anti-Black bias.
Method
Participants & Design
• 114 undergraduates participated in a social-perception study
• 2 (Cognitive Processing Style) x 2 (Target Race) between-subjects design
Procedure of Study
Sample of Analytical Presentation:
Sample of Intuitive Presentation:
“Intuitive training programs in the police force have achieved fair success. More than half of
the trainees improved their accuracy in deception detection upon completing the programs.”
…
Tips to Improve Performance:
• Trust your intuition: You first impression might be right.
• Tune in to your feelings: What does your gut tell you?
• Don’t think too much: Does the story feel right?
Cognitive Processing Style Manipulation
• Participants saw a slideshow advocating either an intuitive or an analytical
approach to detecting lies. The slideshow included bogus research support
and testimonies about the effectiveness of the approach.
o Pre-testing: We pre-tested the slideshows for clarity, credibility and appeal.
Target Race Manipulation
• Participants saw a video of a Black or White target recounting their supposed
arrest. The two videos used were adapted from Kassin, Meissner, and
Norwick (2005) and were recorded in a correctional facility in Massachusetts.
o Pre-testing: We pre-tested the videos for the account’s plausibility and
coherence, as well as the target’s friendliness, cooperativeness,
attractiveness, and assertiveness.
Discussion
“Analytical training programs in the police force have achieved fair success. More than half of
the trainees improved their accuracy in deception detection upon completing the programs.”
…
Tips to Improve Performance:
• Trust your reasoning: Your final impression might be right.
• Tune in to your logic: What does your brain tell you?
• Think carefully: Does the story make sense?
3"
3.5"
4"
4.5"
5"
5.5"
Intui+on" Analysis"
Account'Veracity'(107)'
White"
Black"
Y. Andre Wang Saaid A. Mendoza
University of California, Davis Providence College
Target Truthfulness (scaled)
• No racial bias emerged for judgments
of the target (p = .31).
• Participants using analysis tended to
believe the target marginally more
overall (p = .11).
• No interaction emerged between target
race and processing style (F<1).
Account Veracity (scaled)
• Processing style had no effect on
judgments of the account (F<1).
• Participants tended to believe the
White versus Black target’s account
marginally more overall (p = .08).
• Interaction between target race and
processing style tended to show more
racial bias in the analysis versus
intuition condition (p = .12)
Summary
• Overall, only some evidence of racial bias emerged on judgments of account
and confidence ratings, but not judgments of the target.
• Our findings do suggest, however, that cognitive processing style may affect lie
detection judgments and affect the expression of racial bias.
o Accounts are more likely seen as truthful when using analysis vs. intuition.
Future Directions
• Use audio tracks and written criminal profiles in presenting the target and the
account to control for differences in non-verbal behaviors, or stipulate the
manner and content of the account by hiring Black and White actors.
• Explore how the speed of making truthfulness judgments may interact with
cognitive processing style.
Racial Stereotyping Processes
• Black Americans are more strongly associated with criminality compared with
White Americans (Devine & Elliot, 1995; Payne, 2001).
Cognitive Decision-Making Processes
• According to the dual-process model of thinking, information may be processed
intuitively or analytically (Kahneman & Frederick, 2002; Wilson & Schooler, 1991).
o Intuitive processing tends to occur automatically and relies on heuristics
(Bargh & Williams, 2006).
o Analytical processing tends to occur deliberatively and relies on data-
gathering (Kahneman & Frederick, 2002).
Theoretical Background
Training
Presentation
Practice
Video
Free Writing
Task Target Video
Judgment
Ratings
3"
3.5"
4"
4.5"
5"
5.5"
Intui+on" Analysis"
Target'Truthfulness'(107)'
White"
Black"
Results
Target Truthfulness (dichotomous)
• No racial bias in dichotomous target judgments, χ2(1) = 0.19, p = 0.66
• Participants using analysis tended to trust the target more, χ2(1) = 2.16, p = 0.14.
Account Veracity (dichotomous)
• No racial bias in dichotomous account judgments, χ2(1) = 0.10, p = 0.76
• Participants using analysis believed the account more, χ2(1) = 3.81, p = 0.05.
o Participants who viewed the account as deceitful were more confident in their
judgments when the target was Black versus White, F(1,48) = 3.77, p = 0.06.
For more information, contact Y. Andre Wang at: YLAWANG@UCDAVIS.EDU