Prominence of Verbal Feigning among Graduate Students: Comparative Analysis

Abstract

Verbal feigning, understood as the intentional distortion of verbal communication to manage social impressions, It was observed within among the young adults within educated learning communities. The present study examined association of verbal feigning among graduate students and its significance between male and female young graduates. The sample consisted of 60 graduate participants (N = 60) from an educated academic community, including 30 males and 30 females, all 18 years to 25 years. Inclusion criteria required participants to be currently enrolled in graduate programs with adequate proficiency in verbal communication. Exclusion criteria included undergraduate students, individuals below 18 years of age, and persons from non-academic or informal learning environments. Verbal feigning was assessed using the Lying in Everyday Situations (LiES) Scale (Hart et al., 2019), a freely available self-report measure designed to evaluate everyday verbal deception. The scale was administered in a standardized format under controlled conditions following informed consent. Emotional outcomes (e.g., guilt, anxiety, emotional dissonance) and social outcomes (e.g., peer trust, social acceptance, communication patterns) were examined as dependent variables. The study adopted a quantitative, cross-sectional design. Findings suggest that there was high level of verbal feigning among graduate students, while it was also revealed that female showed higher levels of verbal feigning as compared to male.