American Psychological Association New Issue

A new issue is available for the following APA journal and there is one article that is of interest to us:

Development of a FACS-verified set of basic and self-conscious emotion expressions.

By Tracy, Jessica L.; Robins, Richard W.; Schriber, Roberta A.
Emotion. Vol 9(4), 2009, 554-559.

Abstract

In 2 studies, the authors developed and validated of a new set of standardized emotion expressions, which they referred to as the University of California, Davis, Set of Emotion Expressions (UCDSEE). The precise components of each expression were verified using the Facial Action Coding System (FACS). The UCDSEE is the first FACS-verified set to include the three “self-conscious” emotions known to have recognizable expressions (embarrassment, pride, and shame), as well as the 6 previously established “basic” emotions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise), all posed by the same 4 expressers (African and White males and females). This new set has numerous potential applications in future research on emotion and related topics.



http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=buy.optionToBuy&id=2009-11528-015&CFID=8591374&CFTOKEN=58980061◦

American Psychological Association New Issue

CNN: TSA and Behavioral Screening

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CNN: TSA and Behavioral Screening

Dating in the Dark 1.3

This show is a great show to watch if you are wanting to analyze and understand facial expressions as they relate to feelings and emotions. When they are in the dark there is very little masking of expressions and emotion.

Some of things I see:

Billy Ray places his hand over his mouth when her hears about barfing; he does several eye blocking movements. He is the least into what he heard. Almost every second you can see pacifying behaviors, true smiles, surprise from the contestants.



Part of the reason the touching seemed sexy is because it included the lips and neck- two highly erogenous zones. Because they were in the dark they skipped some inductory steps in courtship rituals and were able to go to touching of these areas sooner than normal.

Then I see true surprise, twice.

I then see the biggest difference because this conversation occurred in the dark. After the surprise wares off, she actually had a smile on her face when normally we would maintain a neutral facial expression (or outright concern) after hearing such horrible things in his past. This does not make her bad, it is more of commentary on her wants in a relationship- many people want to play the nurturing role and this guy could work with her. Also, he gets a hug, she is trying to comfort him. Would this have happened had they not already touched when they first entered the darken room?

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Dating in the Dark 1.3

Training Exercise Results and Conclusions

I'm not going to breakdown the entire video second by second, instead I will give generalizations. I also have to be mindful that since we currently have Behavioral Detection Agents within the TSA I do not want to give away "trade secrets" that help them do the best possible job.

Unfortunately, I have seen this video too many times. I'm sure you are aware this is actual footage of 911 hijackers going through security.

Results:
First, gaze aversion was practiced by each and every hijacker; They avoided eye contact with TSA agents.

There was little- if at all- glancing around at others or the surroundings. Which you see many of the other passengers do casually.

Angular distance, where they angled their bodies away from TSA agents, but they did not always angle their bodies towards their bags or destination.

There was backing away shown by at least one of the hijackers when his accomplice's bag was being looked at by a TSA agent- Fight or flight response.

There is a slight stiffness and less gestures by some of the hijackers as compared to others traveling through security.

There is some excess walking, and shifting of weight and walking in place. This is an involuntary action done by the body to burn off adrenaline.

Even though the tape was short and did not show before and after entering security, I would suspect they entered security more slowly then they exited security. This in the biggest suggestion I would make of the TSA: redesign their security layout so there is a space of at least 30 feet where walking pace can be judged prior to entering security and immediately upon exiting security. This combined with a more structured "gathering your items" together area. After metal detectors there should be a place where you immediately put your shoes on again, then you get your belongings from the conveyor belt, then walk the 30 feet out of security. People who intend to do harm will forgo "gathering your items" area to regroup and distribute belongings later, instead they will want to exit the area quickly. Unfortunately most security areas are on the verge of gridlock and gait cannot be judged as normal or abnormal.

A comment was made concerning a hijacker backing off when his accomplish was being checked with the hand held metal detector. It appeared to be the case at first glance, but in fact it was the way the security was set up where there were two metal detectors lined up with space between them; the second hijacker was so nervous he was walking in a straight line instead of breaking off to his right, a TSA agent had to direct him over to the right. Another thing I would do is set up cognitive processing as part security processing. Painted lines controlling flow with areas where TSA could change passenger direction midstream, this would show confusion by the nervous traveler..

Lastly, change TSA security from simply a checkpoint, but to encompass the entire gate areas. Behavioral agents should also be scanning the waiting passengers. The 911 hijackers showed subtle signs going though the security checkpoint and they also had to show signs while they were waiting to board the aircraft- they would not be casually napping, reading, or calling people on the phone like most travelers are- there would be a seriousness and intensity in their demeanor.

The hijackers showed subtle and not so subtle signs of their intentions, however the way they were acting is not all that uncommon among honest travelers. The key is to attempt to find someone not exactly playing the roll of a passenger going through security, and then ask further questions of the traveler to determine the risk.

The Behavioral Detection Agents are doing a great job, evidenced by the many arrests of suspicious travelers- most of which are traveling with false identification. While they are not always catching terrorists, they are effectively finding those that are nervous going through security which is a sign we are safer than we were years before the program.◦

Training Exercise Results and Conclusions

Honest Plea

Jul 30 2009

WASHINGTON - JULY 30: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) (C) speaks as Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) (R) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) (L) listen during a news conference July 30, 2009 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Democratic Senate Leaders held a news conference with members from American Academy of Family Physicians and American College of Physicians to discuss health insurance reform. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

When you hold your hands up, palms exposed it is a gesture saying believe me. It is saying I have nothing to conceal.◦

Honest Plea

How You Hold Hands Can Say Something

Aug 2 2009
Ray Liotta and Catherine Hickland on the streets of SoHo, NYC Pictured: Ray Liotta and Catherine Hickland Picture by: Jackson Lee / Splash News

Ray's hand is in the dominant position. The hand you can see is the one in charge- at that time.

Fingers are interlocked, this is more personal than simply holding hands without interlocking the fingers.

This may seem rather straightforward- and it is- but if you watch people holding hands in a romantic setting you'd really be surprised by the differences you see from couple to couple.◦

How You Hold Hands Can Say Something

Shaky Voice or Hands

Unless you are playing against drinker on the wagon, or a nervous guy or gal, if you see or hear the shakes it simply means one thing- they are not confident, and the lack of confident usually means weakness.

The shaky voice is hard if not impossible to "act" realistically.

If the hands are shaking due to a physical reason, I'd hope you would have noticed before you playing for the pot.◦

Shaky Voice or Hands

Training Exercise

This is an exercise to test your abilities.

The Department of Homeland Security has raised the terror alert to the highest level based on intel received from the CIA. The threat involves American aircraft. The time is 7:00am and there currently are over 20,000+ aircraft in the air.

It is all hands on deck.

You currently are in training to become a Behavioral Detection Agent. Current Behavioral Detection Agents are reviewing tapes of individuals that passed through security looking for anything suspicious. They have used video enhancing technology to zoom in and review certain individuals. These videos are being uploaded to the training facility so the instructors can review them and provide input. You are 'pigtailed" on the video feed and have been given permission to report anything you find suspicious or worthy of review.

Please review the following footage:



Explanation to follow in a future post.◦

Training Exercise

President Obama, Professor Gates, Sergeant Crowley over Beers

U.S. President Barack Obama (R), Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. (L) and Sergeant James Crowley meet in the Rose Garden of the White House, July 30, 2009. Last week Crowley arrested Gates in Gates' home. UPI/Pete Souza/White House Press Office Photo via Newscom

Obviously the incident at Gates' Home was an emotional one, where both individuals have to share some responsibility for not being calm. An incident where body language and not mirroring each others emotions would have had a better conclusion. Hindsight...

Okay we will never know what is being said over beers, or will we?



Above Gates is speaking using gestures. With this gestures he is speaking from his perspective. We use this to explain how we feel by moving our hand back and forth from the heart. Crowley is leaning back- which could be comfort- but it is not- no one can feel totally comfortable at the White House- he is more 'stand offish' while the President is leaning forward, which shows interest, but also notice how he is leaning towards Crowley- this is a way of showing some sort of support or concern.



Wow, good job photographer! The photographer has either caught a microexpression or a macroexpression. His mouth (dropped open) shows surprise while his eyes (lowering of the eyebrow and intense gaze) and forehead shows anger. Crowley cannot believe what the President is saying. If it is a microexpression we see a true emotion, if he maintained this expression for one to four seconds then Crowley could be purposely showing his discomfort or it is a true emotion.


One of the best photographs of the day is the one below. It tells me they have moved beyond the incident from a personal level. This was taken as they made their way from the White House to the table. Here we see Crowley help Gates down the stairs. Neither would allow this type of contact if they still harbored deep negatitive emotional feelings towards each other.

Official White House photograph.◦

President Obama, Professor Gates, Sergeant Crowley over Beers

Hands Move with a Hint of Their Intention

John Bulwer, the seventeenth-century student of gesture, recognized this
when he described how, "the Hand, which is a ready Midwife, takes often-times the thoughts from the forestalled Tongue, making a more quicke dispatch by gesture;
...For the gesture of the Hand many times gives a hint of our intention, and speakes out a good part of our meaning, before our words, which accompany or follow it, can put themselves into a vocall posture to be understood."

Bulwer, J. (1644) Chirologia; or the Natural Language of the Hand.
London.

When playing poker watch your oppontent hands, analyze them separate from all other parts of your opponent body/gestures, notice how they behave when they call and raise. How they move towards the chip stack. You will be able to see when your opponent is calling when they just as easily could have raised...◦

Hands Move with a Hint of Their Intention