Deception index. Three profile elements lend themselves to direct measurement:
height, weight, and age. Daters’ height wasmeasured using a standard measuring tape
and their weight was measured using a standard scale. Daters’ age was recorded from
their drivers’ licenses. Absolute deviations from participants’ real height, weight, and
age were calculated by subtracting observed measurements from profile statements.
These absolute deviations were standardized and then averaged to calculate a deception
index. This deception index is used as an objectively derived measure of the amount
of deception present in participants’ profiles. The deceptions captured by this index
were significantly correlated with self-reported accuracy scores on height, weight,and age, indicating that the lies were intentional rather than simple mistakes. Please
refer to the study by Toma et al. (2008) for a detailed description of this index.