1. Before You Watch
- How good are you at knowing when somebody is lying?
- Do you think intelligent people are more difficult to deceive?
- Why do people sometimes believe things even when evidence contradicts them?
- Can you remember being certain about something and later discovering you were wrong?
- Which is more powerful when forming an opinion: facts or emotions?
- Do you trust information more when it confirms what you already believe?
2. Key Vocabulary
3. Vocabulary Challenge
4. First Viewing — The Big Picture
The Logic of Deception: Hacking the Human Brain · 5:55
Watch once without stopping. Choose the best summary.
5. Second Viewing — Listening for Detail
- What does the video suggest about how the brain processes information?
- Why can assumptions be useful?
- How can those same assumptions cause problems?
- What distinction is made between facts/data and conclusions?
- How can context influence interpretation?
- What is the main warning you take from the video?
6. Facts, Assumptions or Conclusions?
7. Language Focus — Degrees of Certainty
He is lying.
versus
He might be lying.
Rewrite these statements so they sound less certain.
- He's lying.
- They deliberately gave us the wrong information.
- She doesn't like me.
- The company is hiding something.
- The witness made the story up.
Useful language: might · could · may · probably · it's possible that · it seems that
8. Critical-Thinking Challenge
A man leaves a restaurant without paying. CCTV shows him leaving quickly. His waiter says he appeared nervous. The manager concludes that he deliberately stole the meal.
What are the facts?
What are the assumptions?
Give three alternative explanations.
The goal is to distinguish between what we know and what we think we know.
9. Discussion — Think Deeper
- Are humans naturally rational?
- Can an intelligent person still be easily manipulated?
- Why can beliefs survive when evidence contradicts them?
- How have social media algorithms changed the information people see?
- How can advertising exploit cognitive biases?
- How might AI make deception easier?
- Could AI make detecting deception easier?
- Which is more dangerous: false information or true information presented misleadingly?
10. C1 Speaking Challenge
“People don't believe what is true. They believe what feels true.”
Speak for two minutes. State your position, give an example, consider an opposing argument and reach a conclusion.
Useful C1 expressions: One could argue that… · To some extent… · That assumption overlooks… · On balance, I would argue that…
11. Writing Challenge
B2
Write 140–190 words: Do social media platforms make people easier to deceive?
C1
Write 220–260 words: “The greatest weakness in human reasoning is our belief that we are rational.” Discuss.
12. Exit Challenge
One new word I learnt today is…
One idea that surprised me was…
One assumption I should question more often is…
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