Microexpression: Information from Answers.com

This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2009)

A microexpression is a brief, involuntary facial expression shown on the face of humans when one is trying to conceal or repress an emotion. They usually occur in high stakes situations, where people have something to lose or gain. Unlike regular facial expressions, few can fake a microexpression (it is possible to voluntarily stress some facial muscles to replicate micro-expressions)^{[citation needed]}. They consist of and completely resemble the seven universal emotions: disgust, anger, fear, sadness, happiness, surprise, and contempt.^[1] Microexpressions can occur as fast as 1/25 of a second.

1 History
2 Naturals – Wizards Project
3 Training
4 In popular culture
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

History

Microexpressions were first discovered by Haggard and Isaacs over 40 years ago. In their 1966 study, Haggard and Isaacs outlined how they discovered these "micromomentary" expressions while "scanning motion picture films of psychotherapy hours, searching for indications of non-verbal communication between therapist and patient" ^[2]

In the 1960s, William Condon pioneered the study of interactions at the fraction-of-a-second level. In his famous research project, he scrutinized a four-and-a-half-second film segment frame by frame, where each frame represented 1/25th second. After studying this film segment for a year and a half, he discerned interactional micromovements, such as the wife moving her shoulder exactly as the husband's hands came up, which combined yielded microrhythms.^{[citation needed]}

Years after Condon's study, American psychologist John Gottman began video-recording living relationships to study how couples interact. By studying participant's facial expressions, Gottman was able to predict which relationships would last and which would not. In Malcom Gladwell's book Blink, Gottman states that there are four major emotional reactions that are destructive to a marriage: defensiveness, stonewalling, criticism, and contempt. Among these four, Gottman considers contempt the most important of them all.^{[citation needed]}

Naturals – Wizards Project

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2009)

Main article: Wizards Project

Most people do not seem to perceive microexpressions in themselves or others. In the Wizards Project, previously called the Diogenes Project, Drs. Paul Ekman and Maureen O'Sullivan studied the ability of people to detect deception. Of the thousands of people tested, only a select few were able to accurately detect when someone was lying. The Wizards Project researchers named these people "Truth Wizards". To date, the Wizards Project has identified just over 50 people with this ability after testing nearly 20,000 people^[3]. Truth Wizards use microexpressions, among many other cues, to determine if someone is being truthful. Scientists hope by studying wizards that they can further advance the techniques used to identify deception.

Training

Ekman claims that anyone can be trained to see such microexpressions relatively easily.^[4]

Doctors Paul Ekman, David Matsumoto and Mark Frank created the Microexpression Training Tool (METT 1), the first training tool developed to improve one's ability to read microexpressions.^[5]. Ekman and Matsumoto then created a proceeding version of the training tool, METT2.^[6]

Both Ekman, Matsumoto and Global Emotion now have their own versions of the microexpression training tool, which is available on their websites.

In addition, Matsumoto's website offers more advanced microexpression training, with training that offers profile views and 3/4 face views.

Furthermore Global Emotion's Online training offers a training especially for China. This company took in account the effects of the cross-race-effect and had a team conduct experiments in Beijing, China to obtain over 8700 photos and vidos of more than 130 Chinese citizens. The development of their training was funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technologies in Germany.

In popular culture

Microexpressions and associated science are the central premise for the 2009 television series Lie to Me.

They also play a central role in Robert Ludlum's post-humously published "The Ambler Warning", where the central character, Harrison Ambler, is an intelligence agent who is able to see them [1].

References

^ P. Ekman, “Facial Expressions of Emotion: an Old Controversy and New Findings”, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, London, B335:63--69, 1992
^ Haggard, E. A., & Isaacs, K. S. (1966). Micro-momentary facial expressions as indicators of ego mechanisms in psychotherapy. In L. A. Gottschalk & A. H. Auerbach (Eds.), Methods of Research in Psychotherapy (pp. 154-165). New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
^ Camilleri, J., Truth Wizard knows when you've been lying", Chicago Sun-Times, January 21, 2009
^ Erskine, James and David Stewart (Directors). (2001). The Human Face. [Documentary TV Mini-Series]. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
^ Ekman, P., Matsumoto, D., & Frank, M. G. (2001). The Micro-Expression Training Tool, v. 1. (METT1). [CD Rom]. Available at [www.mettonline.com]
^ Ekman, P., & Matsumoto, D. (2007). The Micro-Expression Training Tool, v. 2. (METT2). Available at [www.mettonline.com]

External links

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Donate to Wikimedia

Microexpression

Contents