Toward a theoretical construct of the factors of deceptive communication.

Abstract

This study constitutes the fourth phase of a research program designed to explore the factors that influence the choices people make regarding deceptive communication. The research program leading up to this study produced five factors of deceptive communication---acceptance of deception, ethics, motives, intentionality, and upbringing---that may represent the thoughts people have about communication, which in turn may influence when one deceives, who is deceived and how deceptive messages are formulated. By applying the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1985, 1988; Ajzen & Madden, 1986), this study determines the extent to which these five constructs constitute a mental conceptualization of deception. In addition, this study intends to determine the internal consistency and dimensional structure of the factors confirmed through this project. The results of this study will have several implications, including future studies examining how this relationship makes a link between one's attitudes about deception and one's actual deceptive behaviors. This report reviews relevant literature, outlines the methods carried out in this study, reports the findings, and discusses the limitations and implications of the findings.