Information manipulation theory

<p>Information Manipulation Theory (abbreviated IMT) is a theory of <a href="/facts/Deception/ADLUf5ts">deceptive</a> discourse production, rooted in <a href="/facts/H._Paul_Grice/IYrQGQNd">H. Paul Grice</a>'s theory of <a href="/facts/Cooperative_principle/qSHtCJgq">conversational implicature</a>. IMT argues that, rather than communicators producing <a href="/facts/Truths/NyQmBtUC">truths</a> and <a href="/facts/Lie/mfQgWIjd">lies</a>, the vast majority of everyday deceptive discourse involves complicated combinations of elements that fall somewhere in between these polar opposites; with the most common form of deception being the omission of contextually problematic information, commonly known as <a href="/facts/White_lie/mfQgWIjd">white lies</a>. More specifically, individuals have four different ways of misleading others: playing with the amount of relevant information that is shared, including false information, presenting irrelevant information, and/or presenting information in a vague or ambiguous fashion. As long as such manipulations remain undetected by recipients, deception will succeed. Two of the most important practical implications of IMT are that deceivers commonly use messages composed entirely of truthful information to deceive; and that because this is the case, our ability to detect deception in real-world environments is extremely limited.
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Information manipulation theory open-in-new

Information manipulation theory