{"id":4021,"date":"2026-08-03T21:13:55","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T21:13:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/law.temple.edu\/aer\/?p=4021"},"modified":"2026-08-03T21:13:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T21:13:55","slug":"when-cops-robbers-and-college-students-watch-people-tug-their-earlobes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/law.temple.edu\/aer\/2026\/08\/03\/when-cops-robbers-and-college-students-watch-people-tug-their-earlobes\/","title":{"rendered":"WHEN COPS, ROBBERS, AND COLLEGE STUDENTS WATCH PEOPLE TUG THEIR EARLOBES"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"app\">\n<div id=\"appContainer\" class=\"QdrUx jIdm1 body-100\"><input id=\"topSearchInput\" class=\"uz227 EmdGf\" role=\"combobox\" spellcheck=\"false\" autocomplete=\"off\" type=\"text\" value=\"\" placeholder=\"Search\" aria-activedescendant=\"\" aria-autocomplete=\"list\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-label=\"Search for email, meetings, files and more.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"Flvp1 customScrollBar DSIdO\">\n<div id=\"mainApp\" class=\"NzIuH\">\n<div class=\"gU1Tf\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\" data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">The great trial lawyer, Gerry Spence, said that we all have \u201cpsychic tentacles\u201d that reach out from us and serve us in the detection of credibility and authenticity.\u00a0 Says Spence, \u201cLike our immune system, our invisible credibility detectors are constantly searching for the enemy, for the thin clank of the counterfeit.\u201d<a id=\"OWAeb767ad6-f25c-a8ed-8ad7-f01e93814cbc\" class=\"x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"#x__ftn1\" href=\"https:\/\/outlook.cloud.microsoft\/mail\/inbox\/id\/AAQkADhjMWY4ZjhjLWYzZjYtNDBjNS1hOWVhLTE2YjFkZTVjZmU0MgAQAA%2Biz7K9t3lFn36ck8t3nKU%3D#x__ftn1\" name=\"x__ftnref1\" data-linkindex=\"5\">[1]<\/a>\u00a0 It seems we generally experience the detection of the \u201ccounterfeit\u201d as either detections of outright lies or things we find merely insincere. For instance, there does seem to be some difference in the insincerity of saying \u201cI like your new haircut\u201d though we don\u2019t truly mean it, versus saying \u201cI didn\u2019t kill Jules Epstein\u201d even though we\u2019ve just secreted his body under the shed in our backyard.\u00a0 Researchers seem to agree that both are forms of lies but call the former insincerity a \u201cprosocial\u201d lie.<a id=\"OWAee015082-2610-dfff-29c4-31ebd51a6279\" class=\"x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"#x__ftn2\" href=\"https:\/\/outlook.cloud.microsoft\/mail\/inbox\/id\/AAQkADhjMWY4ZjhjLWYzZjYtNDBjNS1hOWVhLTE2YjFkZTVjZmU0MgAQAA%2Biz7K9t3lFn36ck8t3nKU%3D#x__ftn2\" name=\"x__ftnref2\" data-linkindex=\"6\">[2]<\/a> \u00a0A greasing of the skids in our social graces. The question I wanted to explore this month tees up an upcoming blog piece by my quite-alive-and-lively co-conspirator, Jules Epstein.\u00a0 His blog will look at expressions of gratitude\u2014and I\u2019ll leave it at that to avoid spoilers.\u00a0 This month, I\u2019m going to share a study about lie detection, based only on nonverbal cues, that pitted seasoned detectives against other subjects who don\u2019t necessarily lie detect for a living.<a id=\"OWA2ca5b66f-0402-7bd7-7c5c-a480b3d113ec\" class=\"x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"#x__ftn3\" href=\"https:\/\/outlook.cloud.microsoft\/mail\/inbox\/id\/AAQkADhjMWY4ZjhjLWYzZjYtNDBjNS1hOWVhLTE2YjFkZTVjZmU0MgAQAA%2Biz7K9t3lFn36ck8t3nKU%3D#x__ftn3\" name=\"x__ftnref3\" data-linkindex=\"7\">[3]<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\">Before I describe the experimental set-up the researchers employed, it\u2019s essential to point out that there is a whole host of research out there proving which nonverbal cues are associated with deception and which nonverbal cues are <i>thought<\/i> to reveal a lie but don\u2019t show any statistically valid association with lying at all.\u00a0 The authors of this study review the proven cues versus the suspected cues quite thoroughly before walking through the details of their experiment.<a id=\"OWA20b09024-1a48-b856-8473-4129aa9407da\" class=\"x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"#x__ftn4\" href=\"https:\/\/outlook.cloud.microsoft\/mail\/inbox\/id\/AAQkADhjMWY4ZjhjLWYzZjYtNDBjNS1hOWVhLTE2YjFkZTVjZmU0MgAQAA%2Biz7K9t3lFn36ck8t3nKU%3D#x__ftn4\" name=\"x__ftnref4\" data-linkindex=\"8\">[4]<\/a>\u00a0 Armed with data about which nonverbal cues really do and really don\u2019t reveal a lie, the researchers gathered for their test a host of presumptive lie detection experts: police detectives, customs officers, patrol officers, and prison guards.\u00a0 93% of these experts \u201c\u2026indicated that they had considerable experience with detecting deception.\u201d<a id=\"OWAe493c4a1-c9b9-d539-41b5-24369fd5cbda\" class=\"x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"#x__ftn5\" href=\"https:\/\/outlook.cloud.microsoft\/mail\/inbox\/id\/AAQkADhjMWY4ZjhjLWYzZjYtNDBjNS1hOWVhLTE2YjFkZTVjZmU0MgAQAA%2Biz7K9t3lFn36ck8t3nKU%3D#x__ftn5\" name=\"x__ftnref5\" data-linkindex=\"9\">[5]<\/a> Their opponents in this test of skill would be incarcerated prisoners and college students.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\">The authors used a total of 16 nonverbal cues for this test. Some of these 16 are experimentally proven indicators of lying: use of a higher pitch, a decrease in leg movement, and slower speech rates, for example.<a id=\"OWAb0cfb9b9-5f63-d115-dd5c-39b70db30942\" class=\"x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"#x__ftn6\" href=\"https:\/\/outlook.cloud.microsoft\/mail\/inbox\/id\/AAQkADhjMWY4ZjhjLWYzZjYtNDBjNS1hOWVhLTE2YjFkZTVjZmU0MgAQAA%2Biz7K9t3lFn36ck8t3nKU%3D#x__ftn6\" name=\"x__ftnref6\" data-linkindex=\"10\">[6]<\/a> However, some of the cues used in the experiment are merely <i>believed<\/i> to indicate deception, but have no provable correlation to lying: averting one\u2019s gaze, trunk movements, and self-touching actions are examples of this sort.\u00a0 All 16 nonverbal cues were placed in a series of multiple-choice questions to test whether the subjects would correctly identify deception behaviors or would show they\u2019ve been relying on statistically invalid nonverbal cues to sniff out deception.<a id=\"OWAc11e2908-72ee-c601-4a44-26f0f5161e56\" class=\"x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"#x__ftn7\" href=\"https:\/\/outlook.cloud.microsoft\/mail\/inbox\/id\/AAQkADhjMWY4ZjhjLWYzZjYtNDBjNS1hOWVhLTE2YjFkZTVjZmU0MgAQAA%2Biz7K9t3lFn36ck8t3nKU%3D#x__ftn7\" name=\"x__ftnref7\" data-linkindex=\"11\">[7]<\/a>\u00a0 So, for instance, a question might offer a series of choices about whether liars self-touch more than truth-tellers, self-touch less than truth-tellers, or, neutrally, self-touch just as much or as little as truth-tellers.<a id=\"OWA669cfbe4-e0d7-c160-d53d-f01940052db8\" class=\"x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"#x__ftn8\" href=\"https:\/\/outlook.cloud.microsoft\/mail\/inbox\/id\/AAQkADhjMWY4ZjhjLWYzZjYtNDBjNS1hOWVhLTE2YjFkZTVjZmU0MgAQAA%2Biz7K9t3lFn36ck8t3nKU%3D#x__ftn8\" name=\"x__ftnref8\" data-linkindex=\"12\">[8]<\/a><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\">Let\u2019s get to the results, shall we?\u00a0 Who are the best lie detectors\u2014if we judge them all on which group most accurately relies on the proven cues of deception?\u00a0 In such an experienced group, it\u2019s probably not the college students.\u00a0 Let\u2019s get that out of the way.\u00a0 What about the customs agents?\u00a0 Surely, they have had a ton of practice. \u201c<i>No, officer, I didn\u2019t smuggle any wildlife into the country with me<\/i>,\u201d Tommy Traveler says while vigorously tugging on his earlobe.\u00a0 Meanwhile, a duck-billed platypus is wriggling free from Tommy\u2019s L.V. bag.\u00a0 And yet, it\u2019s not the customs agents either.\u00a0 The patrol officers?\u00a0 Nope.\u00a0 You guessed it.\u00a0 It was the prisoners.\u00a0 But why?\u00a0 The researchers theorized that a prison environment would provide many more opportunities for prisoners to see deception from others and receive feedback on their assessments of deception.<a id=\"OWA714deb16-5957-3184-f335-5162b31aacbc\" class=\"x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"#x__ftn9\" href=\"https:\/\/outlook.cloud.microsoft\/mail\/inbox\/id\/AAQkADhjMWY4ZjhjLWYzZjYtNDBjNS1hOWVhLTE2YjFkZTVjZmU0MgAQAA%2Biz7K9t3lFn36ck8t3nKU%3D#x__ftn9\" name=\"x__ftnref9\" data-linkindex=\"13\">[9]<\/a>\u00a0 The researchers further posited that being a good lie detector mattered much more in prison given that \u201cBeing successful in such a world depends on the ability to tell when you\u2019re being lied to.\u201d<a id=\"OWA4270069d-cf22-a0a3-badf-e371625c8397\" class=\"x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"#x__ftn10\" href=\"https:\/\/outlook.cloud.microsoft\/mail\/inbox\/id\/AAQkADhjMWY4ZjhjLWYzZjYtNDBjNS1hOWVhLTE2YjFkZTVjZmU0MgAQAA%2Biz7K9t3lFn36ck8t3nKU%3D#x__ftn10\" name=\"x__ftnref10\" data-linkindex=\"14\">[10]<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\"><\/div>\n<hr align=\"left\" size=\"1\" \/>\n<div id=\"x_ftn1\" class=\"x_elementToProof\">\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\"><a id=\"OWA4074d348-ca4f-5759-93dc-9fd3ecda9621\" class=\"x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"#x__ftnref1\" href=\"https:\/\/outlook.cloud.microsoft\/mail\/inbox\/id\/AAQkADhjMWY4ZjhjLWYzZjYtNDBjNS1hOWVhLTE2YjFkZTVjZmU0MgAQAA%2Biz7K9t3lFn36ck8t3nKU%3D#x__ftnref1\" name=\"x__ftn1\" data-linkindex=\"15\">[1]<\/a> G\u1d07\u0280\u0280\u028f S\u1d18\u1d07\u0274\u1d04\u1d07, H\u1d0f\u1d21 T\u1d0f A\u0280\u0262\u1d1c\u1d07 A\u0274\u1d05 W\u026a\u0274 E\u1d20\u1d07\u0280\u028f T\u026a\u1d0d\u1d07 49 (1995).<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"x_ftn2\" class=\"x_elementToProof\">\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\"><a id=\"OWA8d409924-6ccf-c091-c2ff-adb8d1675c28\" class=\"x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"#x__ftnref2\" href=\"https:\/\/outlook.cloud.microsoft\/mail\/inbox\/id\/AAQkADhjMWY4ZjhjLWYzZjYtNDBjNS1hOWVhLTE2YjFkZTVjZmU0MgAQAA%2Biz7K9t3lFn36ck8t3nKU%3D#x__ftnref2\" name=\"x__ftn2\" data-linkindex=\"16\">[2]<\/a> <i>See, <\/i>Karyn Fish, Kathrin Rothermich &amp; Marc D. Pell, <i>The Sound of (In)Sincerity<\/i>, 121 J. PRAGMATICS 147, 148 (2017).<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"x_ftn3\" class=\"x_elementToProof\">\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\"><a id=\"OWA34b03b5c-efab-1614-cef3-ae70d351a310\" class=\"x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"#x__ftnref3\" href=\"https:\/\/outlook.cloud.microsoft\/mail\/inbox\/id\/AAQkADhjMWY4ZjhjLWYzZjYtNDBjNS1hOWVhLTE2YjFkZTVjZmU0MgAQAA%2Biz7K9t3lFn36ck8t3nKU%3D#x__ftnref3\" name=\"x__ftn3\" data-linkindex=\"17\">[3]<\/a> Aldert Vrij &amp; G\u00fcn R. Semin, <i>Lie Experts\u2019 Beliefs About Non-Verbal Indicators of Deception<\/i>, 20 J. NONVERBAL BEHAV<b>.<\/b> 65 (1996).<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"x_ftn4\" class=\"x_elementToProof\">\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\"><a id=\"OWA24d90821-4678-0537-6aa6-52cae89808af\" class=\"x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"#x__ftnref4\" href=\"https:\/\/outlook.cloud.microsoft\/mail\/inbox\/id\/AAQkADhjMWY4ZjhjLWYzZjYtNDBjNS1hOWVhLTE2YjFkZTVjZmU0MgAQAA%2Biz7K9t3lFn36ck8t3nKU%3D#x__ftnref4\" name=\"x__ftn4\" data-linkindex=\"18\">[4]<\/a> <i>See Id<\/i>. at 65-67.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"x_ftn5\" class=\"x_elementToProof\">\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\"><a id=\"OWA3d0b503a-8ee6-f2d6-0691-2ddc703728d7\" class=\"x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"#x__ftnref5\" href=\"https:\/\/outlook.cloud.microsoft\/mail\/inbox\/id\/AAQkADhjMWY4ZjhjLWYzZjYtNDBjNS1hOWVhLTE2YjFkZTVjZmU0MgAQAA%2Biz7K9t3lFn36ck8t3nKU%3D#x__ftnref5\" name=\"x__ftn5\" data-linkindex=\"19\">[5]<\/a> <i>Id<\/i>. at 68.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"x_ftn6\" class=\"x_elementToProof\">\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\"><a id=\"OWAf921354f-80a4-549a-5098-59547bca2b2a\" class=\"x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"#x__ftnref6\" href=\"https:\/\/outlook.cloud.microsoft\/mail\/inbox\/id\/AAQkADhjMWY4ZjhjLWYzZjYtNDBjNS1hOWVhLTE2YjFkZTVjZmU0MgAQAA%2Biz7K9t3lFn36ck8t3nKU%3D#x__ftnref6\" name=\"x__ftn6\" data-linkindex=\"20\">[6]<\/a> <i>Id<\/i>. at 65.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"x_ftn7\" class=\"x_elementToProof\">\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\"><a id=\"OWA3461d353-6458-30fd-917c-610ee1b746b9\" class=\"x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"#x__ftnref7\" href=\"https:\/\/outlook.cloud.microsoft\/mail\/inbox\/id\/AAQkADhjMWY4ZjhjLWYzZjYtNDBjNS1hOWVhLTE2YjFkZTVjZmU0MgAQAA%2Biz7K9t3lFn36ck8t3nKU%3D#x__ftnref7\" name=\"x__ftn7\" data-linkindex=\"21\">[7]<\/a> <i>Id<\/i>. at 69.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"x_ftn8\" class=\"x_elementToProof\">\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\"><a id=\"OWA63a9bd10-e2b1-e91d-8b20-87a650e9dc4e\" class=\"x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"#x__ftnref8\" href=\"https:\/\/outlook.cloud.microsoft\/mail\/inbox\/id\/AAQkADhjMWY4ZjhjLWYzZjYtNDBjNS1hOWVhLTE2YjFkZTVjZmU0MgAQAA%2Biz7K9t3lFn36ck8t3nKU%3D#x__ftnref8\" name=\"x__ftn8\" data-linkindex=\"22\">[8]<\/a> <i>Id<\/i>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"x_ftn9\" class=\"x_elementToProof\">\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\"><a id=\"OWA097ffd1e-75fa-9060-aee3-9ef844bef0f9\" class=\"x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"#x__ftnref9\" href=\"https:\/\/outlook.cloud.microsoft\/mail\/inbox\/id\/AAQkADhjMWY4ZjhjLWYzZjYtNDBjNS1hOWVhLTE2YjFkZTVjZmU0MgAQAA%2Biz7K9t3lFn36ck8t3nKU%3D#x__ftnref9\" name=\"x__ftn9\" data-linkindex=\"23\">[9]<\/a> <i>Id. <\/i>at 67.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"x_ftn10\" class=\"x_elementToProof\">\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\"><a id=\"OWA627f4f1f-598e-59e1-f162-e707e92db0ca\" class=\"x_OWAAutoLink\" title=\"#x__ftnref10\" href=\"https:\/\/outlook.cloud.microsoft\/mail\/inbox\/id\/AAQkADhjMWY4ZjhjLWYzZjYtNDBjNS1hOWVhLTE2YjFkZTVjZmU0MgAQAA%2Biz7K9t3lFn36ck8t3nKU%3D#x__ftnref10\" name=\"x__ftn10\" data-linkindex=\"24\">[10]<\/a> <i>Id<\/i>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"RcCNh\">\n<div class=\"fGw6c\">\n<div class=\"I3sS5\">\n<div id=\"MainModule\" class=\"FJ4hV\">\n<div class=\"SW7A6\">\n<div class=\"LBktY\">\n<div class=\"q9iRC css-222\" data-max-width=\"2400\">\n<div class=\"HOVUa\">\n<div class=\"nbmyu FkPdL czwRD LCprM\">\n<div id=\"Skip to message-region\" class=\"Mq3cC css-228\" tabindex=\"-1\" role=\"main\" data-app-section=\"MailReadCompose\" aria-label=\"Reading Pane\" data-skip-link-name=\"Skip to message\">\n<div id=\"ReadingPaneContainerId\" class=\"Xsklh VJZZC\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"g_zET\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"NiD4s\">\n<div class=\"fui-FluentProvider fui-FluentProviderr3r ___p1ubi60 f19n0e5 f3rmtva fgusgyc fk6fouc fkhj508 figsok6 fytdu2e f11ysow2 fly5x3f f22iagw\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<div id=\"ConversationReadingPaneContainer\" class=\"MtujV\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"L72vd\">\n<div class=\"Q8TCC XyUOw yyYQP owaMailComposeEditorScrollContainer customScrollBar\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-label=\"1 messages\" data-app-section=\"ConversationContainer\" data-is-scrollable=\"true\">\n<div class=\"oWEAX mJflQ allowTextSelection\">\n<div class=\"MshDW mBy5m\">\n<div class=\"UUCdJ O08WD\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ZOM9m\">\n<div class=\"aVla3 XyUOw\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-itempart-id=\"AAkALgAAAAAAHYQDEapmEc2byACqAC\/EWg0A73xQF6T640GJmAvwOthoswAJFIgCMQAA\" data-rp-focused-item=\"true\">\n<div class=\"BS0OK\" aria-expanded=\"true\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"fui-FluentProvider fui-FluentProviderr492 ___5n94it0 f19n0e5 f3rmtva fgusgyc fk6fouc fkhj508 figsok6 fytdu2e\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<div class=\"wide-content-host\">\n<div id=\"focused\" class=\"SlLx9 WWy1F byzS1 WWy1F\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-label=\"Email message\">\n<div data-test-id=\"mailMessageBodyContainer\">\n<div class=\"XbIp4 Vi1QO customScrollBar GNqVo allowTextSelection\">\n<div id=\"UniqueMessageBody_128\" class=\"OuGoX BIZfh\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"document\" aria-label=\"Message body\" aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"false\" data-fui-focus-visible=\"\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"rps_4bea\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div id=\"x_Signature\" class=\"x_elementToProof\">\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The great trial lawyer, Gerry Spence, said that we all have \u201cpsychic tentacles\u201d that reach out from us and serve us in the detection of credibility and authenticity.\u00a0 Says Spence, \u201cLike our immune system, our invisible credibility detectors are constantly searching for the enemy, for the thin clank of the counterfeit.\u201d[1]\u00a0 It seems we generally<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"coauthors":[203],"class_list":["post-4021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-brain-lessons"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>WHEN COPS, ROBBERS, AND COLLEGE STUDENTS WATCH PEOPLE TUG THEIR EARLOBES - Advocacy and Evidence Resources<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/law.temple.edu\/aer\/2026\/08\/03\/when-cops-robbers-and-college-students-watch-people-tug-their-earlobes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WHEN COPS, ROBBERS, AND COLLEGE STUDENTS WATCH PEOPLE TUG THEIR EARLOBES - Advocacy and Evidence Resources\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The great trial lawyer, Gerry Spence, said that we all have \u201cpsychic tentacles\u201d that reach out from us and serve us in the detection of credibility and authenticity.\u00a0 Says Spence, \u201cLike our immune system, our invisible credibility detectors are constantly searching for the enemy, for the thin clank of the counterfeit.\u201d[1]\u00a0 It seems we generally\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/law.temple.edu\/aer\/2026\/08\/03\/when-cops-robbers-and-college-students-watch-people-tug-their-earlobes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Advocacy and Evidence Resources\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-03T21:13:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Grant Rost\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Grant Rost\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/law.temple.edu\/aer\/2026\/08\/03\/when-cops-robbers-and-college-students-watch-people-tug-their-earlobes\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/law.temple.edu\/aer\/2026\/08\/03\/when-cops-robbers-and-college-students-watch-people-tug-their-earlobes\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jules M Epstein 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