Morning Edition co-host Steve Inskeep and NPR's Shankar Vedantam about software that can reportedly detect when a CEO might be trying to hide something during a conference call with investment analysts sent us off on a search for more about the research that Shankar was discussing.
Layered Voice Analysis technology, according to researchers from Duke University and the University of Illinois, seems to be able to pick up on the "vocal dissonance markers" in the tone of a CEO's voice that signal he or she might be shading the truth, trying to not say something or even lying.
I was asked by a reader to examine the below video. I am not fluent in Italian, but after a few overseas assignments, I like to examine things from a purely body language and voice analysis perspective.
Here is the video:
I can tell you he fully rehearsed what he said. His gestures are NOT rehearsed and display confidence (for instance, in the way he holds his forefinger against his thumb when making a precise points) in his words.
There were times when Roberto exhibited high stress levels in his voice when talking about certain subjects; and often during pauses he exhibited pacifying gestures (rubbing head and neck).
Now onto the voice stress analyzer results: Normal disclaimer, voice stress analysis is not an exact science and the results are much debated. It is only one tool that an investigator uses. The results can only help define the investigation and voice stress analysis is not meant to solely determine innocence, guilt, or deception.
The subject was NOT EXCITED at all during the conversation.
The subject was CONFUSED during much of the conversation.
The subject was HIGHLY CONFUSED from time to time.
HIGH STRESS was detected from time to time.
It looks like the subject didn't want to talk about some of the issues.
The subject was truthful and only a few inaccuracies and deceptions were detected.
Truthful: FINAL RISK LEVEL: 0.9%◦
Voice Stress Detector- Man who took on the Mafia: The truth about Italy's gangsters
France's Carole Vergne reacts after scoring a point against Dagmara Wozniak of the U.S. during their third and fourth place playoff in the sabre team competition at the 2010 the World Fencing Championships at the Grand Palais in Paris November 9, 2010.◦
Intense Scream After Win Signals Bottled Up Emotion and Adrenaline
Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. Volume 34 Number 3 is now available on SpringerLink
There are two articles I found interesting:
The Semantic Specificity Hypothesis: When Gestures Do Not Depend Upon the Presence of a Listener
Abstract Humans gesture even when their gestures can serve no communicative function (e.g., when the listener cannot see them). This study explores the intrapersonal function of gestures, and the semantic content of the speech they accompany. Sixty-eight adults participated in pairs, communicating on an object description task. Visibility of partner was manipulated; participants completed half the task behind a screen. Participants produced iconic gestures significantly more for praxic items (i.e., items with physically manipulable properties) than non-praxic items, regardless of visibility of partner. These findings support the semantic specificity hypothesis, whereby a gesture is integrally associated with the semantic properties of the word it accompanies. Where those semantic properties include a high motor component the likelihood of a gesture being produced is increased, irrespective of communication demands.
My comments: First, Iconic gestures or illustrators are closely related to speech, illustrating what is being said. Iconic gestures are different from other gestures in that they are used to show physical, concrete items. I see this this happen all the time, most often when people are talking on the phone. It appears that we feel most comfortable when speaking and gesturing, it is natural for us. This is why, when we are talking to someone and there are no gestures, or the amount of gestures changes it is significant.
Vocal and Physiological Changes in Response to the Physical Attractiveness of Conversational Partners
Abstract We examined how individuals may change their voices when speaking to attractive versus unattractive individuals, and if it were possible for others to perceive these vocal changes. In addition, we examined if any concurrent physiological effects occurred when speaking with individuals who varied in physical attractiveness. We found that both sexes used a lower-pitched voice and showed a higher level of physiological arousal when speaking to the more attractive, opposite-sex target. Furthermore, independent raters evaluated the voice samples directed toward the attractive target (versus the unattractive target) as sounding more pleasant when the two voice samples from the same person presented had a reasonably perceptually noticeable difference in pitch. These findings may have implications for the role voice plays in mate selection and attraction.
My comments: Not only is this significant for the whole "finding of a mate" thingy; Pitch can and does always tell us the amount of interest and/or the amount of comfort or discomfort; and this directly relates to social status and/or authority figures... Once you notice and understand the characteritics of the voice and how it relates to reading people, it may be more telling than facial expressions...◦
"The search for Kyron Horman entered its fifth day Wednesday as searchers continued to work to find the 7-year-old boy who disappeared after a science fair at his elementary school in a rural area of Portland, Ore." -ABC News
One thing is clear there is real emotion coming through their voices and body language.
From a statement analysis perspective it is clear what is going on here...
The police have asked the family to give these statements. It is also clear the FBI is working with closely with them and is guiding what is being said.
There was a similar case that occurred some 30 years ago in Ohio in a community about 15 miles from Lake Erie; it was a small community and it was clear at the time to the FBI the Perpetrator was someone who was a volunteer and had inserted himself into the investigation and search efforts so he could learn how close they were to determining he had kidnapped the girl.
The investigators are attempting to personalize this by having the family read a statement/note TO Kyron. They have likely told the family it is possible that Kyron may actually hear what they say, if he is still alive. The investigators want to show some of the emotional pain the family is experiencing because if the perpetrator is feeling guilty- adding to it will help them find him. They are looking for changes in behavior and appearances. They are contacting employers to see who has been absent from work since Kyron disappeared.
They also suspect the perpetrator is someone they have already interviewed, this is why they are thanking those that have been interviewed countless times- It allows and explains the need for more and more interviews with the same people. It is interesting he specifically mentions the bus driver, if the bus driver was seen in the school before the science fair in the morning it is very significant. If he was not, this could be a strategy to deflect the direction of their true 'person of interest' such as someone else who worked at the school.
It is likely the perpetrator is someone whom the family members come into contact with on a regular basis, but he is not close to the family, and the family may not even know his actual name. The investigators have probably told the family to carry on with their normal routines (as much as possible) and keep a log of everyone they speak with and come in contact with; it is likely the perpetrator will offer support. It may even be the first time this person has actually spoken with them, but they likely recognize them as someone 'familiar.' When this person speaks with them there will be genuine concern and emotion in his voice, gestures, and message- this is the only time the perpetrator can let his emotion and feelings be shown.
The Prayer Vigil was video taped and investigators were in attendance.
If they do not 'find' him in the next several weeks, they will look closely at anyone who moves away from the community (known to the investigation) in the coming months and years.
This was a crime of opportunity, made possible by the science fair. This does not necessarily mean that the perpetrator was not an employee of the school... it is just as likely- that because of the many visitors to the school that morning- he felt he would not automatically become a suspect.
It is likely the perpetrator was himself a victim of childhood sexual abuse. It is unlikely that the perpetrator has a record. It is likely the perpetrator exercises and takes pride in his appearance.
If Kyron is dead, the perpetrator is bothered and feels guilty about the way he disposed of the body and he wants him to have a proper burial. This will be the largest part of his remorse and guilt and he will think of this often and it will hard for him to accept.
This person has not appeared in interviews or on camera.
The final chilling thought... the person who did this will likely read this post. In the same way he has inserted himself into the investigation, made contact with the family, and has been interviewed... he will seek out any information that may tell him how close they are to finding him. As he reads these sentences he will become agitated and extremely nervous. He will think what mistakes?!?! We will have his IP address, location, Internet service provider, search words used in search engines, etc. and this can be cross referenced with the large database of people that has been created for this case.
Keywords inserted to increase the odds that search engines will lead the perpetrator to this post: babysitter, elementary, nurse, doctor, psychologist, principal, librarian, shop, cook, janitor, secretary, teacher, custodians, substitute, delivery, assistant, driver, coach, student, student teacher, friend, police, security, parents, paper, gym, work, scouts, sports, peer, friend, work, bus, home, apartment, house, volunteer, clerk, store, dad, mom, family, hobbies, gifted, camping, camp, prayer vigil, waitress, restaurant, neighbor, worker, construction, car, media, newspaper, truck, store room, basement, locker room, cafeteria, music room, stage, theater, library, shop, audio, visual, computer, education, office, conference room, study hall, detection, playground, woods, road, interstate, shallow grave, body, decomposing, rape, molest, brutalized, abuse, sexual offenders, psychology, anal, antisocial, sadist, bondage, arrest, genetic, evidence, closer, grand jury, FBI, Federal, Behavioral Science Unit, cruel, exhibition, pedophiles, hebephiles, personality disorders, photography, trophy, profile, profiler, behavioral, closing in, surveillance, testing, lab, results, suspect, person of interest, surveillance.
NO MEDIA INQUIRIES WILL BE RETURNED. NO PART OF THIS POST CAN BE COPIED, DISTRIBUTED, OR QUOTED UNDER COPYRIGHT LAW. WE ASK IF YOU ARE A MEDIA OUTLET TO NOT MAKE ANY REFERENCE TO THIS POST FOR A PERIOD OF TWO WEEKS FROM THE POSTING DATE.◦
Kyron Horman Family Speaks: Why the person who did this will not get away with it! Mistakes were made!
Research conducted by Professor Albert Mehrabian of the University of California, Los Angeles, 55 per cent of the emotional message in face-to-face communication results from body language. 7% is the actual words chosen.38% is the tone of voice. It becomes the 7%-38%-55% rule, supposedly denoting how much communication was conferred by words, tone, and body language. The reason I say "supposedly" is because the actually percentages are debatable; what is clear there is a great deal going on beyond the words. Yet I rarely mention how the tone of the voice, does in fact convey emotion.
Take the next couple of days and make it a point to greet the people you interact with on a daily basis and pay attention to the minuscule differences in their tone when you greet them. Often times it is just paying attention to differences in tone that makes all the difference.◦
I am sorry to all the fans of reality shows; I've watched almost every show of the new season and felt conflicted. The new bachelor (or the producers) have been playing with our feelings. Nothing has seemed right; sometimes he picks the girl who he had connected with the most, other times the exact opposite. I've been going crazy not writing about this.
Several producers of this type of show have emailed me in the past and I've been having a huge conflicts- let things happen as the producers want it to happen or tell the truth...
The latest bachelor does not have the mental capacity to make an informed decision concerning his long term future- whomever he chooses will not stand the test of time.
To those who have emailed me the last several weeks/months, I apologise- did not want to ruin it for you.
Now onto Rozlyn Papa and the inappropriate relationship with a producer.
When the host asks if anything happened physically at the house, we can see her answer "absolutely not" but she does display a shoulder shrug as she is saying it.
When the host asks why she did not stop him and and tell him he was out of his mind (when he was confronting her on the show about the relationship) she makes a joke, "Well I was thinking it, don't worry." Whenever someone is being asked a question (which it was a great question that gets to the heart of the situation) and they attempt to use humor instead of directly answering, it is a deflection technique, and is often a sign of deception. At some level they are trying to lessen the impact of a high stakes question and therefore discount both the question and their answer.
As she is explaining why she thought she was being confronted- calling her son- she actually gives the host a subtle WINK with her left eye. HOTSPOT. Even though she thought of a somewhat loosely plausible, somewhat logical statement, she herself does not believe it and gives it away with a WINK!
"Made it clear I used his phone." Shoulder shrug.
When she is confronted about the phone issue and relationship issue being separate, she clearly has been caught and she goes into shutdown mode. Joe Navarro craftily describes the three stages of confrontation as Freeze, Fight, or Flight. Rozlyn clearly is in the FREEZE mode. When I read about this concept in Joe's book, it so simple and clear, but it had never been articulated and was quickly accepted by those of us that study body language- up to that point we had not recognized the freeze mode and thought there was only flight or fight... Unfortunately, the host asks a question too soon and "pulls" her from the frozen state. If you see this happen in real life, remain quiet and allow the subject to make the next move- you may be very close to obtaining a confession. This is one of those rare 'personality' defining moments that are rarely seen and occur infrequently in interpersonal communication.
"On my child's life, that never happened!" is a declarative statement. Declarative statements like this and, "I swear to God" are not usually given by honest people and often indicate deception.
You can also hear the stress in her voice, her pitch becomes higher, it is a clear sign of stress.◦
Stop the Press!!! Bachelor!!!! and Rozlyn Papa was She Lying
Has it really come to this, unfortunately for some YES. Tired of hacking into your boyfriends email account and secretly reading his text messages?
Love Detector is a new software technology, designed to detect love and other relevant emotions over a Skype conversation conducted over your PC. The software automatically monitors your friend's voice to detect minute indications of emotional arousal. Unlike many gadgets or love detection "games," Love Detector is based on proven technology.
Does it work, well it can and pick up on certain vocal characteristics. It works equally as well as a lie detector. But once again let's say it indicates stress, it might not be because he's not that into you... he could be thinking about certain tasks he needs to complete at work tommorrow.
Your best bet is to learn about body language, microexpressions, listen carefully to the tone of his voice, and pay attention to the words and statements in normal conversation. Trained humans are always better than technology.◦
Nothing Says Happy Valentine's Day like the Love Detector
Interview talks about how Layered Voice Analysis (LVA) can measure emotions, cognitive activity, and deception. It also highlights that LVA is used by hundreds of law enforcement professionals and works with any language. Note: Amir Liberman from Nemesysco is the inventor of Layered Voice Analysis. Lynn Robbins is a reseller. For more information on Layered Voice Analysis (LVA): www.layered-voice-analysis-info.com ◦
There are some interesting papers that relate to the content of this site. While you will need a subscription to see them on the APA site, I'm including the title and authors so you can search for them on Google Scholar/online.
Are specific emotions narrated differently? Page 751-762 Habermas, Tilmann; Meier, Michaela; Mukhtar, Barbara
Can Duchenne smiles be feigned? New evidence on felt and false smiles. Page 807-820 Krumhuber, Eva G.; Manstead, Antony S. R.
The voice conveys specific emotions: Evidence from vocal burst displays. Page 838-846 Simon-Thomas, Emiliana R.; Keltner, Dacher J.; Sauter, Disa; Sinicropi-Yao, Lara; Abramson, Anna◦
A great man who knows everything about this topic warns everybody to be sure you really want to learn this, because once you learn it you cannot unlearn it, says Dr. Paul Ekman.
I also have a couple of warnings: (1) Don't read people and tell people what you're seeing in them. People hate it- and you become instantly creepy; (2) Be careful, if all of a sudden you are looking at everything more clearly you can become super sensitive. This can be very dangerous to yourself and all of your relationships. Recognize if at least 70% of our communication is not the words that are used- all of a sudden you could be seeing 3 times more information it can be scary- so chill out a little.
Starting to Learn: With a little investment of money and many hours of study you to will see the world differently.
Step 1:
Get a good body language book. I can recommend this book because it covers all the bases.
Step 2:
Practice, Practice, Practice. I find airports and sandwich shops (on weekday lunches) are the best places to read people. There always a electic mix of people- sometimes they are there for business, other times it is catching up with friends. Do it at least once a week, if not more. Go to parties and different events to expose yourself to different reads, notice the differences. Learn.
Step 3:
Get advanced micro expression training at Humintell.
Get certified in microexpressions, then do it until you get a perfect score. There is no sense learning to recognize what is going on but getting it wrong. Once your perfect, keep up your skills to maintain your score by going back every so often.
Step 4:
Get yourself a good pair of dark or mirrored sunglasses because when you are outside you do not want to be caught starring at someone, and then stare at everyone. Think Secret Service.
Step 5:
The best book on lying I have come across for the non professional is this one. Memorize it. Read and skim it every so often. If you know and understand the concepts presented in this book, it is like you’ve been working as a police detective for 20+ years.
Step 6:
Get Subtle Expression Recognition Training at Humintell. This training examines how the core emotions can be shown on only part of the face. They occur when an emotion is first beginning. They also occur when someone is trying to suppress any sign of how they are feeling. Recognizing true feelings is important to the craft.
Step 7:
Detecting Deception Through Statement Analysis
People's words betray their true thoughts, and they will provide you with more information than they realize. This book will show you what to look for in verbal and written statements to determine if they are telling the truth. If you are a fan of "Lie to Me" the stuff in this book is their secret weapon that they never explain the science of, but use in every episode.
Step 8:
More books. These I can recommend because they are really interesting. Sure they will cover some of the concepts you already learned from the first body language book, but they have something to add, and it becomes a refresher now that you have some experience under your belt.
Step 9 (Become Advanced):
Branch out. Get more technical books. Read FBI profiler books. Check out some NLP stuff. Watch the news show that feature interrogations like 48 hours and Dateline. Watch some reality shows like the Bachelor. Read scientific articles on the latest research in the area. Play poker. Offer to interview candidates for job openings at work. Watch the news. Pay attention in meetings. Sell something to someone. Watch Lie to Me and some of the non technical crime shows are pretty good. Meet someone at a meeting or social setting. Make sure your family and friends know you care about them by using what you learned here to show them.
Some of the other items in my tool kit are:
I buy my books in pdf format, that way I can search across all the pdfs with Adobe Reader. I also have a pdf print driver so if I see something on the web I print it to a pdf file and it is part of my library. I probably have twenty books and hundreds of articles that I have collected over the years.
I have a Namesysco voice stress analyzer. It is a powerful tool but it is only one tool in the whole toolbox.
I also have several programs that help me analyze written copy.
Then for fun I have this...
and now for MORE FUN, season 2 is now available for ordering...
Deception "is a huge, multidimensional space," he said, "in which every combination of things matters."
Robin Marantz Henig's article in NYT magazine, where Henig quotes Steve Kosslyn.
Fact
The English language has 112 words for deception, according to one count, each with a different shade of meaning: collusion, fakery, malingering, self-deception, confabulation, prevarication, exaggeration, denial.
Lies can be verbal or nonverbal, kindhearted or self-serving, devious or baldfaced; they can be lies of omission or lies of commission; they can be lies that undermine national security or lies that make a child feel better. And each type might involve a unique neural pathway.
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