TRAINING LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS TO DETECT DECEPTION: A CRITIQUE OF PREVIOUS RESEARCH AND FRAMEWORK FOR THE FUTURE

This article reviews principles of effective training (Beebe, Mottet, & Roach, 2004), explicates the strengths and weaknesses of deception detection training research, and proposes a research agenda for deception detection training within the law enforcement context. Overall, deception detection training studies to-date fail to follow principles of effective training. Trainee needs are not assessed, training content is lacking, and the trainer and trainee engage in passive roles. A model is proposed with the aim of providing a conceptual framework for thinking about deception detection training and establishing a research agenda for future studies. In particular, it extends previously suggested changes to deception detection training research (Frank & Feeley, 2003), applies principles of effective training methods (Beebe et al., 2004), and calls for a context-dependent (Flyvbjerg, 2001) shift in deception detection training studies.