Last week we wrote about the importance of distinguishing micro and macro expressions, but we passed too quickly over deception detection. Microexpressions differ from their longer lasting counterparts in many ways, but one of the most salient is the fact that they can betray underlying emotions. The fleeting microexpression can show anger or surprise where…
Read MoreDigging into Deception Detection
Why Some People Lie Better Than Others
Lie detection is tough for a lot of people, but why do some people happen to just be better at it than others? This is an important question not just in our attempts to understand how to detect deception but also in efforts to better understand the role of emotional recognition in lie detection. A…
Read MoreStudying Deception Among Children
As many of us know, children are still known to practice deception, and maybe there is a lot to learn about deception from them. This was the motivation for a recent study by Hilal Şen and Aylin C. Küntay in the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, where they sought to simulate acts of deception amongst preschool…
Read MoreThe Nonverbal Sleuth
Most detective procedures center around hard physical facts and evidence, but what is the role of detecting nonverbal behavior? A new study in the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior sought to challenge conventional wisdom that emphasized physical facts over nonverbal behavior. By replicating a previous study with slightly different variants, Dr. Eric Novotny and his team…
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