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Timothy Levine

Timothy Levine

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Tim Levine is Professor of Communication at Michigan State University. His interests include interpersonal communication, persuasion and social influence, cross-cultural communication, and research methods, and he has published more than 100 journal articles on these topics. Professor Levine is most well known for his research on deception and deception detection. He was recently recognized with Michigan State University's Distinguished Faculty Award.

Primary Interests:

  • Close Relationships
  • Communication, Language
  • Culture and Ethnicity
  • Interpersonal Processes
  • Nonverbal Behavior
  • Persuasion, Social Influence

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Truth-Default Theory and the Social Science of Lying and Deception

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    Truth-Default Theory and the Social Science of Lying and Deception


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    Truth-Default Theory


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    Lying and Deception: Have You Been Duped?


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    Social Science of Lying and Deception


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    Why Do We Believe Liars?


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    The Art of Lying


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    Is Body Language Actually Useful for Detecting Lies?



Journal Articles:

  • Bisson, M. A., & Levine, T. R. (2009). Negotiating a friends with benefits relationship. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 38, 66-73.
  • Blair, J. P., Levine, T. R., & Shaw, A. S. (2010). Content in context improves deception detection accuracy. Human Communication Research, 36, 420-439.
  • Duff, D. C., Levine, T. R., Beatty, M. J., Woobright, J, & Park, H. S. (2007). Testing public anxiety treatments against a credible placebo control. Communication Education, 56, 72-88.
  • Kotowski, M. R., Levine, T. R., Baker, C., & Bolt, J. (2009). A multi-trait multi-method validity assessment of the verbal aggressiveness and argumentativeness scales. Communication Monographs, 76, 443-462.
  • Levine, T. R., Asada, K. J., & Carpenter, C. (2009). Sample size and effect size are negatively correlated in meta-analysis: Evidence and implications of a publication bias against non-significant findings. Communication Monographs, 76, 286-302.
  • Levine, T., R., Bresnahan, M., Park, H. S., Lapinski, M. K., Wittenbaum, G., Shearman, S., Lee, S. Y., Chung, D. H., & Ohashi, R. (2003). Self-construal scales lack validity. Human Communication Research, 29, 210-252.
  • Levine, T. R., Kim, R. K., & Blair, J. P. (2010). (In)accuracy at detecting true and false confessions and denials: An initial test of a projected motive model of veracity judgments. Human Communication Research, 36, 81-101.
  • Levine, T. R., Kim, R. K., & Hamel, L. M. (2010). People lie for a reason: An experimental test of the principle of veracity. Communication Research Reports, 27, 271-285.
  • Levine, T. R., Kim, R. K., Park, H.S., & Hughes, M. (2006). Deception detection accuracy is a predictable linear function of message veracity base-rate: A formal test of Park and Levine’s probability model. Communication Monographs, 73, 243-260.
  • Levine, T. R., Kotowski, M. R., Beatty, M. J., & Van Kelegom, M. J. (2011). Trait-behavior correlations in argumentativeness and verbal aggression: A meta-analysis in reply to Infante, Rancer and Wigley. Journal of Language and Social Psychology. (Online first).
  • Levine, T. R., Serota, K. B., & Shulman, H. (2010). The impact of Lie to Me on viewers’ actual ability to detect deception. Communication Research, 37, 847-856.
  • Levine, T. R., Serota, K. B. Shulman, H., Clare, D. D., Park, H. S., Shaw, A. S., Shim, J. C., & Lee, J. H. (2011). Sender demeanor: Individual differences in sender believability have a powerful impact on deception detection judgments. Human Communication Research, 37, 377-403.
  • Levine, T. R., Shaw, A., & Shulman, H. (2010). Increasing deception detection accuracy with strategic questioning. Human Communication Research, 36, 216-231.
  • Levine, T. R., Weber, R., Hullett, C. R., Park, H. S., & Lindsey, L. (2008). A critical assessment of null hypothesis significance testing in quantitative communication research. Human Communication Research, 34, 171-187.
  • Levine, T. R., Weber, R., Park, H. S., & Hullett, C. R. (2008). A Communication researchers' guide to null hypothesis significance testing and alternatives. Human Communication Research, 34, 188-209.
  • Muthuswamy, N., Levine, T. R., & Weber, R. (2009). Scaring the already scared: Some problems with HIV/AIDS fear appeals in Namibia. Journal of Communication, 59, 317-344.
  • Park, H. S., Levine, T. R., Kingsley, C. Y., Orfgen, T., & Foregger, S. (2007). The effects of argument quality and involvement type on attitude formation and change: A test of dual process and social judgment predictions. Human Communication Research, 33, 81-102.
  • Serota, K. B., Levine, T. R., and Boster, F. J. (2010). The prevalence of lying in America: Three studies of reported deception. Human Communication Research, 36, 1-24.
  • Shulman, H., & Levine, T. R. (2012). Exploring social norms as a group-level phenomenon: Do political participation norms exist and influence political participation on college campuses? Journal of Communication.

Other Publications:

  • Levine, T. R. (2010). A few transparent liars: Explaining 54% accuracy in deception detection experiments. In C. Salmon (Ed.), Communication Yearbook 34 (pp. 40-61). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Courses Taught:

  • Communication in Close Relationships
  • Communication Research I
  • Communication Research II
  • Effective Public Speaking
  • Interpersonal Influence and Conflict
  • Interpersonal Relations
  • Methods of Communication Inquiry
  • Organizational Communication
  • Persuasion
  • Seminar on Deception
  • Seminar on Measurement
  • Theory Construction

Timothy Levine
Department of Communication
Michigan State University
404 Wilson Road, Room 482
East Lansing, Michigan 48824
United States of America

  • Phone: (517) 432-1124

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