Non-verbal cues can provide behavioural signals of deception to observers. Microexpressions
are facial cues that indicate the presence of an emotion being concealed by a
deceiver. During deception, deceivers often attempt to conceal an emotion by masking it
with an expression of another emotion such as a smile. Despite this, micro-expressions
may be leaked during masking to reveal the hidden emotion. Nonetheless, research has
shown that the majority of people recognize the occurrence of deception no better than
could be expected by chance. Micro-expression detection training has been suggested to
improve micro-expression detection skill that is linked to improved deception detection.
The present study examined the effectiveness of the Micro-expression Training Tool
(METT) in improving students’ and police officers’ skills in detecting masking smiles.
The visual attention of trainees and untrained controls was measured via eye tracking
during a pre and post test masking smile detection task. Results revealed that training did
not have an effect on task performance, but practice did alter task performance.
Following practice, all groups showed better detection of true smiles but not for masking
smile detection. Participants’ abilities to identify masked emotions and location of microexpressions
on the face varied as a function of the emotion present, as did their attention
to the relevant regions of the face that contained a micro-expression. These results
suggest that traditional micro-expression training is not sufficient to train observers in
masking smile detection. This result has significant implications for future training
protocols and many professional groups, as masking smiles are often employed during
attempts at deception.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:OSUL.10219/2084 |
| Date | 08 October 2013 |
| Creators | Pote, Emma C. |
| Publisher | Laurentian University of Sudbury |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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