This dissertation examines the relationship between eye-specific behaviours—primarily gaze direction, blinking, and pupil dilation—and deception detection in high-stakes job interviews.
Drawing on the researcher’s twenty years of behavioural consulting experience, job interviews are positioned as uniquely high-pressure situations in which candidates are strongly motivated to make a positive impression. In such conditions, impression management through deception becomes particularly problematic for interviewers and for fair assessment during selection.
It examines whether, and in what way, eye signals—such as gaze direction, blink rate, and pupil dilation—can indicate deceptive behaviour.
Using a systematic review approach, the study synthesises findings from eye-tracking research, psychological experiments, and interview-based studies. The analysis is guided by Cognitive Load Theory, Information Manipulation Theory, and dual-process theories by way of reference to how cognitive and emotional strain may be expressed by observing eye behaviour.
Findings suggest that although some ocular behaviours—suppression of blinks, gaze avoidance, and pupil enlargement—are accompanied by deceit, they occur also with truthfulness when cognitive demand is high.
This overlap makes them less reliable as signs of dishonesty on their own. Problems like unclear definitions, not using real-world examples, and ignoring cultural and neurodivergent differences limit their wider use.
By looking at eye movements, blinking, and pupil changes, this review shows how lying might look through eye movements. It adds to the theory and practical use in hiring and highlights the need for future research with fair and clear methods.
