Development of the Cognition of Lying Scale

Abstract

The items of the Cognition of Lying Scale were developed based on the expectancy–value theory in terms of expectancy and the value of telling lies. A factor analysis of undergraduates’ responses indicated three factors: Cognition of negative aspects of lying (7 items), Cognition of the potential for lying well (4 items), and Cognition of the genetic determination for lying well (3 items). Studies 1 and 2 confirmed that the Cognition of Lying Scale is reliable and has construct validity. The relationships between the factors and the number of lies told on the previous day were examined in Study 3, which indicated that Cognition of negative aspects of lying was negatively correlated with the number of lies told on the previous day.