Hundreds of experiments have examined people’s ability to distinguish truths from lies. Meta-analyses suggest that the findings from larger scale experiments converge and that findings discrepant from the meta-analytic average of 54% occur in only smaller experiments. Study size (number of data points, or total number of judgments) is a joint function of the sample size and the number of judgments per research participant. Furthermore, because senders vary more than judges, experiments involving few senders may not be replicable. A number of simulations are reported in which the sample size, the number of unique senders, and the number of judgments per research participant are varied. The findings demonstrate that stability is more a function of the number of judgments than the sample size and that experiments involving too few senders risk idiosyncratic findings that are less likely to be replicable. Implications for research design are discussed.

数以百计的实验检验了人们辨别真假的能力。荟萃分析表明，大规模实验的结果趋于一致，与荟萃分析平均值 54% 的差异仅发生在较小的实验中。研究规模（数据点的数量，或判断的总数）是样本量和每个研究参与者的判断数量的联合函数。此外，由于发件人的变化比评委多，涉及少数发件人的实验可能无法复制。报告了许多模拟，其中样本大小、唯一发送者的数量和每个研究参与者的判断数量是不同的。研究结果表明，稳定性更多地取决于判断的数量而不是样本量，并且涉及太少发件人的实验可能会导致难以复制的特殊发现。讨论了对研究设计的影响。