Ever since the snake deceived Eve in the Garden, people have been trying to understand the driving forces of deception. Why do people lie?  Daniel Hrubes, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Mount Saint Vincent, recently gave a well attended talk on campus with that exact title.  His research interests center on, as he explained, “How people use deception to achieve goals such as controlling their own emotions and influencing the emotions of those around them.”

Hrubes says that with the help and incredible interest of his students, he has been able to conduct investigations on deception, which include assessing the frequency with which individuals use different types of deception and developing a reliable measure to assess people’s attitudes toward different types of deception.

Hrubes began teaching at Mount Saint Vincent in 2001 and continues to be impressed by the level of dedication of his students. “I have been blessed with great students who are really fascinated by deception and what it means in the larger context of our society.  Most of what fills the news in some form or another involves deception—whether its Martha Stewart found guilty of lying to investigators or Bernard Ebbers found guilty of lying to regulators. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

Hrubes’ other research interests include “Impression Formation,” which he defines as how impressions of others influence a variety of decisions including hiring, personal relationships, judicial sentencing, and voting.  “I am interested in how factors such as nonverbal behavior and motivation influence these judgments.”

These interests also tie into still another area that fascinates Hrubes, “Attitudes and Persuasion,” which can be defined as variables associated with persuasive appeals that influence or result in attitude change. For example, Hrubes notes, “If you think of the great orators like Martin Luther King Jr. or John F. Kennedy, their speeches were not only brilliant for their content, but their deliveries were extraordinary. I’m interested in what are some of the factors that contribute to an exceptional delivery that changes people’s belief systems. Is it the way they modulate their voice or use their hands or some other non-verbal cues that makes their presentations so effective?”

Hrubes’ interest in psychology began and ended for a time when he was a freshman at the University of Michigan. He explains, “I was taking an Introduction to Psychology course and the particular instructor was very down because a paper that he had just written was rejected by a prestigious journal. He told an auditorium filled with impressionable freshman not to pursue a career in psychology. I remember him saying that, ‘It’s not worth it.’”  Hrubes was influenced by this poor display of pedagogy. For a number of reasons, Hrubes took a hiatus from college and became a professional tennis instructor and then manager of the Liberty Sports Complex at the University of Michigan.

Fortunately he never lost his interest in psychology. Even on the tennis court Hrubes could see psychological manifestations at work. Hrubes explains, “It always amazed me how a player with less talent but highly motivated could beat another player who had greater innate physical gifts. How did the much less gifted player manage to win? I came to the conclusion that it had to do with motivation, drive and presentation, and I wanted to study and understand these impulses far beyond the borders of the tennis court.”

Hrubes returned to the University of Michigan and received his B.G.S (Bachelor of General Studies) at the University of Michigan, after which he received an M.S. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. His Master’s Thesis topic was: “The Effects of Motivations on the Interpretation of Nonverbal Behavior.” Following the completion of his Master’s Degree, Hrubes received his Ph.D at the University of Massachusetts as well.  The topic of his dissertation was “The Role of Nonverbal Behavior in Persuasion.”

A first generation college graduate, Hrubes experienced firsthand what a life transforming experience higher education can be. “One of the reasons I enjoy teaching
at the Mount is because a large number of students are first generation attendees. It’s very exciting to see a person develop to his or her full potential. You know college in its purest form is a place where students can try on different selves, can be in a safe environment where they can pursue subjects that interest them and in the end come out with a direction that will provide for a meaningful and fulfilling life.”

“I realize that this is a tall order, but at a place like Mount Saint Vincent, where students have easy access to professors and classes tend to be on the smaller side, there is a lot of room for questioning, growth and guidance.” Hrubes also notes that because Mount Saint Vincent is so close to Manhattan, students have the opportunity to take advantage of all that a great city has to offer, yet at the same time have the intimacy of a small college setting.

Hrubes has published numerous articles in leading psychological journals and made presentations with his students at various psychological associations including the annual meetings of the Eastern Psychological Association and the American Psychological Association.  In addition to teaching, Hrubes also serves on several Mount Saint Vincent Committees, including the Honors Program Review Committee, of which he is the chairperson. He is looking at ways to make the Honors Program more encompassing, more rigorous and better able to serve the needs of those students who can take advantage of an accelerated, more concentrated curriculum.

 In fact one of the areas that Hrubes hopes to improve on is having the college make better use of New York City as an urban laboratory. Hrubes added, “The college sits in a unique place where there is so much to offer a promising student. As educators, it’s not only our responsibility to teach, but also to impart a passion for learning, a vision  of what one can do and be in the world, to instill a sense of purpose.  College shouldn’t just be a stepping stone for a better job. It should be a transforming experience.”