Humintell is opening up the discussion and allowing readers to ask their own questions to Dr. Matsumoto.
The question can be about anything (related to deception detection and psychology, of course). Some hot topics could include: microexpressions, subtle expressions, new training tool development, his clientele, etc.
We will go through the various questions our users post here and select some to be answered by Dr. Matsumoto himself.
This is a great opportunity to ask one of the leading researchers in this field your burning question you haven’t been able to get answered anywhere!
We apologize in advance if we can’t get to everyone’s questions, but we will try our best to accomodate as many people as we can.
Please post your question under the comments section. Pending review, we will post it so that others will not repeat the same question.
You have until February 12!
Mr Matsumoto
I got two questions. First: what do you think of the work of Desmond Morris (if you are familiar with him). Is his book “peoplewatching” a good and reliable source on nonverbal communication. Second: I read some things about Joe Navarro, who is a former CIA agent and suposed to be an expert on deception detection. He talks about eye-blocking behaviour. I wonder what you think of eye-blocking behaviour relevance to deception detection? Is there any research done on the relaibility of eye-blocking?
Hello Mr. Matsumoto. I would love to learn about the non-basic emotions; like shame, guilt and disbelief. I saw a video-clip where Paul Ekman spotted deception by a micro-expression of disbelief – even if there is’nt any concluded work done on the subject, I think many of us would like to learn about what is known so far. I also think it could be really great if you made a tele-seminar on detecting deception.
Best regards.
Dr Matsumoto. I’m a big fan and find everything you share about nonverbal behaviour to be nothing short of fascinating.
My question is quite simple; is there a relatively definitive non-verbal sign we present to people when meeting them to indicate we may be attracted to them other than expressing a duchenne smile which may just convey enjoyement?
Cheers.
Mr Matsumoto
I think i am a Natural. Iv allways been able to tell when people are lying to me. As i was growing i just thought it was normal that everbody could do it until i realized in my late teens that other people could’nt tell lies from truth. It was then i thought i was a bit of a freak until the show lie to me came out and i found your website Can it b possible that i am a natural.?
David Crotty
Hi Dr. Matsumoto. For those of us who would like to take further training in the field of micro-expressions and deception detection, where would be the first places you would direct us?
Hi Dr. Matsumoto
I am interested in invisible signs of lies, the height of the liar’s voice and speed of heartbeat the most. What is the height of liar’s voice? And is it possible to slow down the heartbeat when somebody is scared? I would like to hear Your opinion.
Your sincerely
Sandra Jaworska
Hello Dr Matsumoto!
Do you think Left brain/right brain affects in any way the body language?
A person talking about private matter would rather use left part of his body and a person talking about external matters would rather use the right part?
Dr. Matsumoto,
Thank you for your interest in taking questions from the general audience. My question relates to those people that may be funtioning at a lower than average cognitive level (those with brain injuries, birth defects, etc). Do they exhibit microexpressions the same as the those without any impairments? Is the potential leakage the same or is it processed differently due to the congnitive differences? Thank you for the opportunity to ask these questions and I appreciate the work you and your staff do.
Sincerely,
Steven
How many people do you think have the ability to control their subconscious body movement in such a way that is does not leak what they are thinking/feeling??
-Robert Dodge
Dr. Matsumoto:
Thank you for the opportunity. I have tried to be as specific as possible in my phrasing:
1) Do you consider 7+43 part of an emotional expression of Contempt? Or an intentional gesture of contempt? Or is Contempt in the eyes at all?
2) Do you believe automated FACS-coding programs are currently viable, and if so why isn’t there the expected explosion in applied research?
3) Do you believe that the affective meaning of emotional expressions is merely the combination of the affective meanings of routinely co-occurring muscle groups, or are the complete expressions qualitatively different than the sum of their parts (and why?). I am referring specifically to the disagreement between
Ortony, A. & Turner, T.J. (1990). What’s basic about basic emotions? Psychological Review, 97, 313-331.
and
Ekman, P. (1992). An argument for basic emotions. Cognition and Emotion, 6, 169-200.
4) Is there a difference or distinction in the affective meanings of AU9 versus AU10 where they appear alternately in various expressions?
Thank you!
Dr. Matsumoto,
How is your research on cultural emblems progressing? What have you found so far and is there any prelim data you would be willing to share?
Perhaps I have relatively low adaptation to recognizing asian micro-expressions and perhaps this may have a bearing on international cultural misunderstanding/culture shock? What does David Matsumoto think of this hunch: I am sure I am gazing at faces in pretty much my set idiosyncratic way. I think I may be prioritizing my scan for my own “favored” emotions first and scan the face markers for those emotion first, missing the brief cues for the emotion that is really being displayed. In other words, my scan sequence is causing the problems. Furthermore, I wonder if psychotherapy can be shown to improve emotion recognition? If someone is suppressing grief, say, perhaps they may recognize sadness differently compared to points before and after psychotherapy?
-Warren
Dr. Matsumoto:
I find your work fascinating. I have but a few days that I started researching and reading on the matter. What are the most important ivnestigations or books you recomend to follow this area of study more closely? I am taking a B.A. in Applied Linguistics and so I am extremely interested in directing my career towards this branch of the science. I would also like to ask you: I think I am a natural, according to the results on the MIX 2 training tool. What’s your advice on how to make the most of this ability?
Dr. Matsumoto:
It would be interesting to see a chart of chemical substances and how they effect deception detection. Excellent work!
Have there been proven ways that can help a person to manage their emotional expressions and prevent or greatly minimize leakage cues? A lot of focus is on identifying microexpressions but I haven’t been able to find much on how to minimize them or how to manage our emotions so that we can prevent leakage cues especially in situations where we have high stakes involved.
I often see an expression similar to contempt that is not completely unilateral like the METT teaches but rather asymmetrical. Often it seems to be blended in with a smile. One corner of the mouth is stronger than the other and dimpled and deepened more. Does this also qualify as a contempt expression perhaps where the person is trying to hide it by smiling?
I am also interested in hearing the answer to a question an earlier person wrote about the viability of automated FACS coding programs and when do you think this may replace the need for human coders, if at all possible?
Markus, Just wanted to let you know that Dr. Matsumoto previously commented on the works of Desmond Morris in this blog post:
http://www.humintell.com/2009/11/lie-to-me-season-2-episode-6-lack-of-candor-comments/#comments
He said:
“Desmond Morris did some seminal work on gestures, and much of it is held in high regard in many circles. That being said, I think we approach the study of gestures in a more scientifically rigorous way. Nevertheless, his work was interesting and timely”
Thanks for your comment!!
Michael,
In response to your question about a tele-seminar, we will be hosting another webinar in April on the topic of Evaluating Truthfulness. Please check back here frequently or subscribe to our mailing list to be alerted of the exact dates!
Thanks.
Mr Matsumoto:
I wonder about any work on the noverbal behaviour of psychopaths. I know psychopaths dont feel remorse,guilt or regret so they dont give away such clues. Do they give other clues to deceit? Has there been any studies on what might give away the psychopath?
I recommend adding a pre-signature to the certificates like on Paul Ekman’s METT2, as I believe no employer will grand it as a qualification without one. I also suggest humintell to make a training tool for low-intensity subtle-expression like the one Scott Peterson made of contempt in you blog previously.
I have been informed that D3 is still in the research stage , and it could put user’s at risk , so why why is being sold as a training tool. and if it is to be used it should be noted that it is still in the research stage!
Hi, in one day I have finished all the commercial tests that are available. They are all WAY TOO EASY for me. I’m scoring 100% or nearly 100% all of the time. Increasing the speed does not decrease my success rate. I am looking for something more challenging to actually improve my skill. What do you suggest?
How does mTBI possibly effect a patients ability to read the facial expressions of his spouse and children as well as the facial expressions of strangers? Would one of your training modules be appropriate for use with these patients?
What is the quickest way to establish a baseline with somebody you just met?
With some of the training I have taken, i have noticed that if I do not put forth practice making observations any skill set is diminished as time passes by. What do you recommend as a way to keep sharp on observations, types of practice, etc…