Deception by Device: Lying Behavior on Laptops versus Cell Phones

As negotiations increasingly move into online discussions, the impact of various technological devices on behaviors and decisions must be better understood. Four studies explore the rates of self-serving behavior (lying rates) based on the type of device (cell phone versus laptop) used in a decision-making task. Results show that using a laptop promted more self-serving behavior than using a cell phone. The results of follow-up studies suggest that the dominant associations that people hold with each device—professional ones for the laptop and personal/social ones for cell phone—may help drive this effect. In particular, those using a laptop showed reduced levels of lying behavior when first primed to think along personal/social lines, but those using a cell phone did not respond differently when prompted think along professional lines. Implications are discussed.