Assistant Professor Sophie van der Zee of Erasmus School of Economics has launched an intriguing new app called 'BestLiar' to collect data on how people lie. The app, designed as an engaging game, aims to shed light on the complex world of deception and human behaviour.
The primary motivation behind the app's creation is to gather extensive data on lying behaviour in a fun and interactive way. Dr van der Zee and her colleagues Dr Ronald Poppe, Bastiaan van Gilst, and Björn Koemans (Utrecht University) hope to use this information to enhance our understanding of deception and potentially improve lie detection techniques. This initiative is set to create a unique database in the field of deception research from a very diverse group of participants and over a longer period of time, offering insights that have not been previously accessible. It harnesses the power of gamification to collect data on a scale previously unattainable.
BestLiar
BestLiar is a Dutch app and it works by challenging players to deceive their opponents while also trying to catch them out. Players can record a short video of themselves describing an image, in which they either tell the truth or lie. Another part of the game involves watching other peoples’ clips and determining which are true or false. Points are awarded for correct identifications of lies. On the leaderboard, players can compare their achievements. Players can also create a group with their friends or colleagues to test who is the best lie detector.
What sets BestLiar apart is its data collection capabilities. As players engage with the app, it gathers valuable information on lying behaviour, including how much behaviour differs from person to person, whether deceptive behaviour is stable over time, if behaviour is related to the topic of the lie, and the strategies used to detect deception. The data will also be used to find predictive patterns that can be used by computer software. The app was designed and developed by students Bastiaan van Gilst and Björn Koemans.
Currently, the app is only available in Dutch and on iOS. BestLiar can be downloaded through this link. The data will only be used for scientific purposes and will not be sold to third parties.
About Sophie van der Zee
Dr van der Zee's research typically focuses on the prevention and detection of deception and dishonest behaviour, both in face-to-face and online settings. Her multidisciplinary background in psychology, economics, and computer science allows her to approach the study of human behaviour and security from various angles. Some of Dr van der Zee's notable work includes developing a method for automatically measuring human behaviour using motion capture equipment and creating the first personalised deception detection model based on the tweets of former US President Donald Trump.
- Assistant professor
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For more information, please contact Ronald de Groot, Media and Public Relations Officer at Erasmus School of Economics, rdegroot@ese.eur.nl, or +31 6 53 641 846.
