Hartmut Blank

Hartmut Blank is a Reader (senior Associate Professor) in the Department of Psychology at the University of Portsmouth, specializing in memory, cognitive psychology, and social psychology. His verified academic email is at the University of Portsmouth, though he is no longer listed on the current university staff directory, suggesting he may have retired or moved institutions. His broader research portfolio includes extensive work on hindsight bias, false memories, and eyewitness testimony.

Blank's most significant contribution to deception detection science is his collaboration on cognitive approaches to lie detection. His 2017 meta-analysis with Aldert Vrij and Ronald P. Fisher demonstrated that cognitive lie detection methods—including imposing cognitive load, encouraging interviewees to say more, and asking unexpected questions—produced superior accuracy in truth detection (67%), lie detection (67%), and total detection (71%) compared to traditional approaches (56%). This influential study established the empirical foundation for cognitive load theory in deception detection, showing that mental effort can amplify differences between liars and truth-tellers. He has also researched forced choice memory performance testing and strategy selection in deception contexts.

While Blank is not primarily a polygraph researcher, his work has been cited over 2,500 times, reflecting substantial influence in forensic psychology and credibility assessment. His collaboration with Aldert Vrij through the International Centre for Research in Forensic Psychology at Portsmouth has been particularly productive. He has also collaborated internationally on false memory research with institutions including Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz in Germany.

Blank's deception detection work connects to his broader expertise in cognitive psychology and memory science. His research on false autobiographical memories has important forensic implications, and his meta-analytic work on post-event misinformation shows that warnings can reduce the misinformation effect to less than half its size. This interdisciplinary approach—linking memory distortion, cognitive load, and strategic interviewing—positions his deception research within a comprehensive understanding of how cognitive processes affect credibility assessment.