58 — What can L&D learn from deception research?

In learning and development, we're often tasked with solving problems. But how do we know that the client or stakeholder defining the problem is telling the truth? Are they trying to deceive, or are they deceiving themselves? What questions can we ask that could help us find out?

This week on the GoodPractice Podcast, Phil Willcox from the Emotion at Work podcast returns to the show to share his expertise with Ross G and Owen.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find Phil on Twitter @PhilWillcox, Ross @RossGarnerGP and Owen @OwenFerguson.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

If you'd like to find out more about our upcoming events, blogs and whitepapers, visit goodpractice.com.

For an accessible introduction to 'faces' in self-deception, see: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/philosophy-stirred-not-shaken/201505/self-deception-has-many-faces

A more academic look at self-deception can be found in the paper: Z. Chance, M.I. Norton, The What and Why of Self-Deception, COPSYC (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.07.008. A draft version of this paper, available for free, can be found at: http://faculty.som.yale.edu/zoechance/documents/chancenorton2015currentopinion-acceptedmanuscript_002.pdf

And an in-depth look at self-deception and impression-management can be found here: Farrow, T. F., Burgess, J., Wilkinson, I. D., & Hunter, M. D. (2015). Neural correlates of self-deception and impression-management. Neuropsychologia, 67, 159-174. It is available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269724457_Neural_correlates_of_self-deception_and_impression-management

The Yes, Minister scene demonstrating leading questions is available on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0ZZJXw4MTA

The Goffman animation Ross referenced is also available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z0XS-QLDWM

The podcast Ross mentioned, No Such Thing As A Fish, is available on iTunes or here: http://qi.com/podcast

32M's microchipping party was covered by BBC News. You can watch the clip here and decide for yourself if it is a marketing gimmick: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-us-canada-40806583/wisconsin-company-offers-microchip-implants-to-employees

And, finally, our podcast on evidence-based practice is the most popular episode we've done. To find out more about 'four types of evidence', listen to it here: http://podcast.goodpractice.com/evidence-based-practice-for-hr-and-ld