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Facial expression analysis in order to assess a person's response to external stimuli or in order to analyze the work of a person's internal evaluative systems responsible for the occurrence of emotional reactions has become widespread thanks to available tools (such as the Facial Action Coding System (FACS )), which allows objectively describe facial expressions and in the future, using various methods to interpret the available data. Unfortunately, in some situations, such as short-term communication (for example, in a job interview), it is not always possible to apply the standard FACS algorithm: (1) video recording, (2) description of facial expressions using FACS codes, (3) interpretation received data. Nevertheless,
Analysis of mimic reactions in short-term communication is based on two principles - maximum objectivity in the perception of a person and the principle of "stimulus-response" , when the interviewer assesses the interlocutor's reaction received in response to any proposed stimulus (question, artificially created situation).
Objectivity in face perception is impossible without understanding the basic psychological principles of face perception. These include perception "prejudices" (attempts to associate certain facial features with a person's character traits or behaviors) and the principle of adaptation to "habitual" facial expressions.
"Prejudices" of face perception originate both in physiognomy, the ancient system of assessing a person by his face, which has long gone from the scientific field, and in the objective influence on our perception of the anatomical features of the face, in particular, the ratio of the width of the face to its height (width to height ratio) ... The larger this ratio, the more masculine and trustworthy the person is perceived. The ratio of the width of the face to the height is due to the level of testosterone that is exposed to the baby in the womb. It has been established that this ratio does not in any way affect the behavior or personal characteristics of a person, affecting only the perception of others. The interviewer may mistakenly, from the first seconds of the contact, unconsciously trust a person with a large ratio of the width of the face to the height more, not realizing that this trust is due to the peculiarities of the perception of the anatomy of the face, not a real situation. The same applies to the dynamics of facial expressions - calmer facial expressions evoke greater disposition and trust, while hyperkinetic facial expressions (a type of facial expression in which there is no or extremely low connection between the experienced emotion and its facial expression) can disorient the interviewer, distracting his attention not only from the person to which he, as it were, “automatically” takes out of the focus of his attention, but also from other aspects of human behavior.
Adaptation to certain facial expressions is one of the basic principles of facial perception and can often lead to impairment of the objectivity of perception. A classic example of adaptation to certain facial expressions is the lack of reaction of relatives to expressions of sadness in depressed patients. Relatives, as it were, "get used" to see such a facial expression, it becomes meaningless for them. Another example is the lack of a conscious response to the expression of contempt (as a sign of dominance) when communicating in structures with a developed hierarchy or competition between employees.
In the case of the existing likelihood of adaptation to facial expressions, it is recommended during the conversation to move away from the perception of the face as a whole for some time and focus on the anatomical markers of the face, shifting the focus of attention to which allows you to quickly objectify perception.
The use of the "stimulus-response" principle in the analysis of facial expressions in short-term communication is due to the low frequency of significant facial expressions and micro-expressions that appear during the so-called neutral conversation, which does not carry any emotional risks for the interviewee.
Unlike the classical algorithm for using FACS ((1) video recording, (2) describing facial expressions using FACS codes, (3) interpreting the received data), short-term communication uses approaches focused on categorizing and assessing human behavior at the moment of the behavior itself, and It seems appropriate to combine two approaches to the analysis of facial expressions - discrete and component.
The main author who developed the principles of the discrete approach is the famous American scientist - psychologist Paul Ekman, who identified seven basic emotions, each of which has a certain facial expression and a certain semantic meaning for the functioning of the body. Also P. Ekman introduced the concept of "micro-expression of emotion", a quick, consciously uncontrolled expression of the experienced emotion. Thanks to the double innervation, the muscles of the face can contract both under the influence of a conscious decision and under the influence of subconscious impulses. The dynamics of muscle contraction in these two cases is different - automatic contraction without the participation of human consciousness is symmetrical and smooth, and often faster. Due to this type of facial contraction in micro-expressions occurring for a very short time from 40 to 200 ms, we can see a real reflection of the true, deepest emotions of a person. In order to see micro-expressions in real time without using video recording, special training is required, which, like the rarity of the occurrence of micro-expressions (on average in 2% of the investigated communication acts), severely limits their use in short-term communication. But, you need to understand that in a conversation in which the interviewer uses provocative stimuli, the frequency of occurrence of micro-expressions increases. like the rarity of the occurrence of micro-expressions (on average in 2% of the investigated communication acts), severely limits their use in short-term communication. But, you need to understand that in a conversation in which the interviewer uses provocative stimuli, the frequency of occurrence of micro-expressions increases. like the rarity of the occurrence of micro-expressions (on average in 2% of the investigated communication acts), severely limits their use in short-term communication. But, you need to understand that in a conversation in which the interviewer uses provocative stimuli, the frequency of occurrence of micro-expressions increases.
This approach is extremely convenient to use in the context of short-term communication and involves the use of provocative questions and statements with an assessment of the reaction to them on the basis of discrete basic emotions and their micro-expressions. It allows verifying the veracity of statements with a fairly high degree of accuracy.
The interviewee is asked a series of provocative questions designed to test specific emotional responses. The interviewer tells the person that he is not involved, that he believes everything said. An uninvolved person demonstrates joy, right up to delight, while a involved person, when they believed his lies, demonstrates contempt, relief, a smile combined with contempt. The expression of disbelief in an uninvolved person provokes him to surprise and anger, and the expression of disbelief in a liar provokes fear, false surprise and disgust.
Table 1. Emotional reactions of the tested
in the process of research
TRUTH LWV BELIEVE Joy (sensory surprise)
Contempt
Relief DON'T BELIEVE Surprise
Disagreement
Anger Fear of exposure
Fake surprise
The second approach, which has proven itself in a limited time, is the component approach to the formation of emotions and facial expressions, proposed by Klaus Scherer in the late 90s and early 2000s. K. Sherer's approach is based on a sequential assessment of events on the basis of several criteria for the correspondence of these events to the goals and objectives of a person, both perceived and, in general, unconscious. The evaluation sequence includes an evaluation according to four criteria:
- Relevance of the event: whether the event requires attention, further consideration, and possibly an active response.
- Consequences: How an event or its consequences will affect the quality of life and the achievement of immediate and long-term goals.
- Coping potential.
- Compliance with moral and ethical standards.
Thus, the principles of facial expression analysis presuppose an integrative approach, the elimination of "prejudices of perception" with its maximum objectification, which allows you to quickly and efficiently use facial expression analysis techniques in real time.
