Human Behavior in Deception and Deceit - Research Paper Example

Human Behavior 29-03 Table of Contents: i. Outline 3 ii. Introduction 4 iii. Literature Review 7 iv. Methodology and Recent Developments 10 v. Development of Effective Negotiational Skills 13 vi. Case Studies 15 vii. Conclusion 17 Human Psychology Outline: This paper provides comprehensive information on the identfication of human behavior during deception and deceit. Furthermore, the paper provides information on how to empower yourself with the ability to conduct effective negotiations. Understanding human behavior is not an easy undertaking as it involves many different aspects of psychology that are difficult to comprehend. This complexity makes it impossible to completely understand human behavior but familiarizing with certain factors that influence it can be beneficial (Milliken 1998). One cannot scrutinize a person’s behavior on a particular pattern as most people may not be alike. Still some basic instincts in human nature remain universal. It is crucial to understand human behavior to nurture effective negotiation skills (Corvette 2007). There is an important concept to understand here. In order to perceive the behavior of other person, it is essential that you are completely aware of your own behavioral reflection on others. In simpler terms, a person should be able to perceive himself and must be aware of the picture he is presenting to others. This will better enable him to understand the reaction of others in the light of his own stimulus presented to them. One cannot literally read minds of other people but can analyze the different emotions and gestures evident in the behavior and then further process them to reach a conclusion. It can be argued that this processing power and the ability to reach at an accurate conclusion come with experience. Negotiation does not mean to win an argument but it is to reach a state of equilibrium where both parties are satisfied. So to ensure that you don’t give away a lot more than is required to achieve that state of equilibrium it is crucial to understand the mind of others. That’s where understanding of human behavior plays its vital role. No one will tell directly what they want so a little home work on the opponent’s behavior is required for effective negotiation. So what effect human behavior; is an important question. In the depth of psychological analysis it is evident that there are various factors that may be associated with variable human behavior such as hereditary and environmental factors (Milliken 1998). But to develop effective negotiation skill these factors might not be of any use because it is not possible to research for them in time of the deal. So the most important thing to look for in a human behavior is the different types of personalities that can be identified by appreciating some key behaviors in an individual. During a discussion, many aspects of human behavior points towards their specific interest. To negotiate effectively, it is essential to point out those interests and form an argument that in some way fulfill those desires of the others. This will catalyze the reaction and allow the negotiator to reach that equilibrium quickly and without sacrificing most of their interest. Introduction: The diverse human capacity for abstraction, cooperation, and production has enabled the formation of different cultures and these traits are precisely the reason why we have been distincted as humans. The presence of a solid bioloical foundation is responsible for the establishment of such behavioral capacity. The phenomenon of telling a lie is ubiquitous and most humans lie unnecessarily. Humans’ continously receive and interpret information and subconsciously access its accuracy regardless of the circumstances. A famous cynical old saying reflects the true essence of accuracy in everyday circumstances, “Believe nothing that you hear and only half of what you see”. Many psychologists state that in most individuals the ability to be honest decreases with the progression of age, however, this isue is debatable. Benjamin Bradlee, editor of The Washington Post states that being dishonest and telling lies unnecessarily has increased tremendously during his lifetime. However, it is quite difficult to analyse the accuracy of Bradlee’s statement but it is a fact that modern society is thoroughly contaminated and permeated with deceit. In accordance with a poll conducted by The Day America Told the Truth, revealed that approximately 90% of the Americans admitted that they were deceitful and claimed and that they lied about almost everything ranging from the expression of true feelings to sex. Another research revealed that a large majority of Americans believe that people are more deceitful now than they were a decade ago therefore; they claim that the frequency of lying has increased over the past decade. In accordance with a poll conducted in 1987 by U.S News and World Report-Cable News Network, 54% of the participitants strongly believed that people were more dishonest and deceitful now than they had been a decade ago while on the other hand, 71% of the individuals expressed extreme disatisfaction over the prevalent situation of dishonesty amongst Americans. Furthermore, the report also stated that one out of four Americans strongly believe that the American President and majority of congress leaders are not true to their citizens and often lie. The same report revealed that 94% of the participants considered honesty as the most important and valued attribute in a friend. Questions: i. Can facial expressions play a prominent role in determing the accuracy and inaccuracy of a statement? ii. Does the observation of microexpressions enable us to spot lies and be able to handle the volatile situation appropriately? iii. Has the advent of new techniques like polygraphs has declined the use of traditional deception spotting techniques? iv. Does lying trigger the limbic lobes and is responsible for the inconsistency exhibited by the liar when he is conveying inaccurate information? v. Does mastering the art of exceptional observational skills empower us with the ability to catch liars regardless of how cunning they might be? vi. Do feedback signals help us to spot lies? vii. Do liars’ exihibit a visible quantitative and qualitative variation from normal verbal style and verbal content? viii. Do we jump to conclusions on the exhibition of minor inconsistency? ix. Does mastering the art of exceptional observation help us empower with the ability of conducting a successful negotiation? x. Can spotting lies help in the formulation of an effective negotiating strategy? xi. Can individuals with the ability of being able to spot lies become effective negotiators? xii. Does the ability to determine the presence or absence of an inconsistency between the “emotional overload” and “cognitive overload”be the ultimate factor in accelerating the success of an individual? xiii. How do the perspectives of truth differ from the perspectives of lying? xiv. What is the single most reason why humans lie? xv. Can the development of negotiating skills help us treat business conflicts? xvi. Can the dominant channel of communication i.e the voice which refers to the tone an individual uses in interaction and includes rhythm, speed, volume and pitch play a role in the interpretation of human behavior? xvii. Does flexibility play an important role in the success of a negotiation? xviii. Can a negotiator benefit by conducting a prior research? xix. Lastly, is the key to success lies in the ability to detect lies and conduct effective negotiations? Literature Review: The significant biological, psychological, emotional, intellectual, and social points of development which are encompassed within the phenomenon of normal developmental milestones plays an important role in the establishment of the behavioral characteristics of an inidividual. The normal development milestones determine the distinct identity of an individual. Numerous factors are analysed in the indentification and interpretation of human behavior and the most important of these factors are human diversity, cultural competency, oppression, and population at risk. It is important to note that all of the mentioned factors have a strong correlation. Other factors utilized in the analysis of human psychology are empowerment, strengths perspectives, and resiliency, and these factors are also interrelated. In order to spot lies and be more competent in negotiating it is important to learn and master the contributing factors which are responsible for the development of chracteristic human behavior. (ZASTROW et al 1990). i. Feedback Signals: In order to be successful in every walk of life, it is quite essential to master the skill of spotting lies. The skill can only be acquired b thorough knowledge and understanding of human behavior. An important way of spotting lies can be through the consideration of positive feedback signals to which the individual needs to be attentive to. The most important of the positive feedback signals are the facial expressions. (Pearse et al 2010). ii. Facial Signals: The actual emotions and cognitive process is signalled bythe utilization of more than 40 facial muscles. The movement or flexing of these specific facial muscles plays an important role in the inerpretation of honesty and deceit. In accordance with the work advanced by Ekman which was originally conducted by Darwin and other 19th century scientists, has revealed that regardless of ethnicity or culture, all humans utilize same manner in the expression of seven universal emotions. However, in certain cases, emotions such as happiness, sadness, or contempt can be expressed involuntarily by facial muscles in a very short time which conveys the true feelings on the individual. These fleeting facial emotions are referred to as micro expressions. The key to success in the interpretation of lies is to master the skill of identifiying and analysing fleeting facial emotions which are strong reflections of an individual’s true feelings. (Pearse et al 2010). iii. Body Language: Body language is another way of conveying non verbal signals and the assessment of body language is tremendously important in spotting deceit and dishonesty. Unfortunately, the literature available on body language during lying is heavily infleunced and permeated with societal variables and myths. Assessing body language is very essential in spotting lies and determining the extent of accuracy in a statement because understanding body language provides an insight into an individual’s thinking processes and emotions. (Pearse et al 2010). iv. Voice: In many respects, the dominant channel of communication is the voice which refers to the tone an individual uses in interaction and includes rhythm, speed, volume and pitch. Therefore, during communication, most of the time is spent analysing the voice which inevitably leads to the liar getting way. (Pearse et al 2010). v. Verbal Content: Verbal content refers to the words we say or write and a huge number of studies have been conducted in an effort to establish a link between differing verbal content to assess the credibility and non credibility of a statement. The underlying phenonmenon in the utilization of verbal content in the determination of accuracy lies in the fact that verbal content during the expression of lies is quantitatively different from that exhibited when conveying accurate information. An accurate assessment of verbal content provides us with the ability to articulate hidden facts and successfully identify dishonesty. (Pearse et al 2010). vi. Verbal Style: Verbal style refers to the detail, structure, plausibility, contradictions, and the flow of words used during verbal communication. The use of verbal style in decoding flows a complex pattern and is not successfully when we know the other person quite well. During a conversation, an individual’s deviance from normal behavior or baseline indicates dishonesty. It is true that change of baseline occurs during the expression of all of the common five emotions but it is particularly very pronounced during dishonesty and hence, provides an effective way to spot lies. (Pearse et al 2010). vii. Psychological Aspects of Truth: (Pearse et al 2010, pg 64). When an honest individual is asked to recall a personal memory or incident the individual will spontaneously offer details and aspects of the incident in an attempt to reconstruct the whole episode. Apart from the important details, the individual will also offer other details which shows that the person’s mind is reconsturcting the whole incident and some details like spontaneously providing appropriate details of the incident signifies that the individual is not lying. The two domains important in human behavior; cognitive and emotion have a synergistic effect or in other words they work in harmony. In simple terms, it can be safely stated that the emotions displayed on the face during conversing and how the conversation is conducted, what is being said, how it is being said together with the body language are all synchronized which means that they are consistent. The presence of consistency is an important indication that the individual is telling the truth. (Pearse et al 2010). Methodology and Recent Developments; Psychological Aspects of Lying: (Pearse et al 2010, pg 65). A key feature in the determining the accuracy or inacuracy of a statement is to effectively analyse the relationship between cognition and emotion. In accordance with research involving the conduction of brain scans, revealed that the middle brain is activated when conveying accurate statements, while on the other hand, the limbic lobes are activated when telling lies. The activation of limbic lobes when conveying inacurate information results from an increased demand of oxygen which automatically draws more blood to the lobes and thereby activating them. Therefore, the brain needs to work harder during lying which is the underlying reason for the increased utilization of oxygen. The more complex the situation is, the harder the brainhas to work, the higher the oxygen demand and the graeter the activation of limbic lobes. The coordination of body language and the harmony between cognition and emotion is imbalanced when telling a lie. The imbalance increases the incidence of inconsistency by several folds and provides an important opportunity for the face reader to spot lies by identifying signs of hard work and inconsistency between what is displayed on the face and what is being said. (Pearse et al 2010, pg 65). However, in every situation it is unwise to treat the presence of inconsistency by labelling it as a lie or deception because the assessment of ground truth is also important in the determination of accuracy and ground truth is often hidden within the inconsistency. Such an internediate state is regarded as a “HOT-Spot”. The “HOT-Spot” refers to the position which requires more access to the ground truth through the conduction of a detailed examination by utilizaing subtle and skilled questioning. An important inherent discipline in the effective identification of human behavior during deceit is to resist the urge to reach a definite judgement by utilizing the “HOT-Spot” and not acquiring the access to the ground truth. A better approach is to implement a filtration process in an effort to gain access to the hidden ground truth. The filtration process is a way of spotting lies and involves the collection of data and its subsequent consideration and interpretation. Furthermore, it is wise to reach a conclusion only after the end of a successful and productive filtration process. Recent developments signify that the process of filtration ensures a sure fire way which not only ensures an open mind but is also important for an effetive access to the ground truth. In order to unravel the “HOT-Spot”, an appropriate way is to develop a deeper understanding of human behavior during deceit and deception. The deeper knowlegde provides an appropriate and a harmful way to efficiently and completely decode the information hidden behind the deadly clutches of lies and deception. The utilization of the “HOT-Spot” provides the individual with the opportunity to probe by asking relevant and necessary questions. Furthermore, the individual being accessed can be asked intrusive questions in an effort to test the hypothesis formulated by the reader or the coachee.What the individual thinks or feels when being deceptive is extremely important as it provides a way for these two domains to compete for resources. The competition for resources leads to the leakage of visible or audible signs which proves the presence of an inconsistency. The leakage of visible or audible signs which is referred by Dr. Paul Ekman as the “HOT-Spot” is an important tool for the access to ground truth. Once the presence of the “HOT-Spot” is established the individual or the reader can test their hypothesis by probing through intrusive or inquisitive questions.Since last year, the Ekman’s science regarding the decoding of lies and deception has been extended to provide services to the L&D sector through pilot work. (Pearse et al 2010). Recent Developments: The US federal government has the latest insturments which are capable of detecting lies through facial expressions, micro expressions, micro changes in voice style and content. A polygraph examination detects lies by analysing the psychological changes that occur due to the activation of sympathetic nervous system during lying and deceit. The psychological detection of deception (PDD) examination or a polygraph examination is the most productive invention capable of decoding lies through the utilization of minimal information and time. Vibraimage technology (Vibralie) is utilized for the detection of verbal and nonverbal psychological reactions of deception which provides an essential way to access the level of accuracy in statements claimed by individuals. (Lie Detection, anonymous). Development of Effective Negotiational Skills: Negotiation encompasses a wide variety of situations experienced by individuals in every walk of life. The development of effective negotiational skills is essential if one wants to emerge as a winner from situations involving dirty tricks, interminable haggling sessions, and deceptive individuals. The ability to utilize the different aspect of human behavior to analyse a situation and turn the tables in such a way that things start to work for your benefit has become an essential tool in today’s modern yet deceitful society. The development of effective negotiational skills cannot be initiated until the techniques of analysing the relationship between the two domains of cognition and emotion has not been mastered. A successful negotiator is an individual that is capable of unraveling the “HOT-Spot” in an appropriate and an efficient way to develop a deeper understanding of human behavior to spot lies and negotiate in a way which increases the chances of an effective negotiation. Today the world is pervaded with a potential win or lose situation and in such cases it has become essential or to develop skills to spot lies and negotiational skills to become a better individual. Effective negotiators are individuals which are capable of proving that the term “win-win” is not a misnomer. On the other hand, it is equally important for the negotiator to be able to negotiate in such a way that the other side does not feel that they have lost the battle because in business it is inevitable that the individual will soon strike another opportunity to work with the party they are negotiating with at the moment. The vice president of Ivor B.Clark Co, Mr. Damon L. Blackburn states that “if the other side loses, you can’t win”, this statement reflects the importance of striking an effective negotiation. (Black enterprise 1970). In accordance with a commercial real estate finance firm in Washington, D.C, the importance of effective negotiating is summarized in the following words: “Although it may feel good initialy to take them to the cleaners, when it comes to negotiating, win-lose can’t be good for future business.” (Black enterprise 1970). It is important to realize that a winner-take-all proposition is rarely regarded as a successful negotiation. An important characteristic to be a better individual is todevelop the ability to be flexible in an effort to mold into every possible way which inevitably increases the person’s potential to be prepared for every circumstance. An individual must be capable of analysing the situation effectively and weigh all chances before striking a balanced approach. Furthermore, it is equally important to read the other side’s facial expressions and body language in an effort to decode ground information and be able to establish a relationship between cognition and emotion which will help the individual to acquire a better perspective and inevitably paves way for strinking an effective negotiation. The effective negotiation has numerous characteristics including the flexibility to be able to throw out unintended items from your list of concessions and providing way for the other side to save face by ignoring their litle mistakes. The utilization of such techniques increases the chances of an individual strinking an effective and efficient negotiation. (Black enterprise 1970). Case Studies: Episode I: Dr. Paul Ekman recognizes and acknowledges signs which indicate that the person is lying. A common gesture such as scratching the chin might indicate that the individual is lying. Furthermore, when the person wrings his hand, indicates inconsistency between cognition and emotion which indicates that the individual is lying. The utilization of exceptional skils of observation enables us to see that seemingly innocent gesture like wrinkle your nose might indicate that your brain is working harder. The harder the brain works the more prominent is the expresion of inconsistency between the domains of cognition and emotion. Lying triggers an unusual activation of limbic lobes in the brain. The activation increases the oxygen demand which inevitably increases the blood flow to the limbic lobes of brain which enables the brain to work harder in an effort to lie cunningly. However, in most cases, the deceptive individual is rendered incapable to maintain a balance between the “cognitive overload” and “emotional overload”. The imbalance is what provides us with an important opportunity to spot lies and make the situation work for us by utilising exceptional observational skills to establish the best negotiational strategy which would allow us to gain maximum benefits in a seemingly losing battle. On the other hand, swallowing too much indicates that the person is trying to gain time to analyse the situation and to formulate a strategy of deceit which would be successful in prevaling conditions. To become a human lie detector it is essential to acquire exceptional observational skills in an effort to be able to decode lies and extract ground information from the clutches of deceit. Human observational techniques can sometimes provide more acurate results than any polygraph examination or other computerized techniques utilized for the detection of lies. On the other hand, it is not possible to perform a polygraph on everyday situation thus, it is interpreting facial expressions remains one of the most important ways of analysing and spotting lies. The show reveals that deception is not hard to spot, provided that we are well informed about facial expressions and body language which are characteristic of a dishonest individual. Episode II: Dr. Paul Ekman utilizes simple observational skills to spot lies in individuals which seem too sincere to be deceptive. It is a fact that more than 90% of dishonest individuals are capable of molding facial expressions and formulating lies in such a way that it seems quite impossible for the reader to effectively observe and spot lies. However, if we utilize exceptional observational skills then it becomes quite easy to interpret micro expressions of the face to unravel the “HOT-Spot” in an appropriate and an efficient way to develop a deeper understanding of human behavior. The deeper understanding inevitably provides an edge and enables the individual to decode body language and micro expressions in an effort to determine the presence or absence of the inconsistency between the “emotional overload” and “cognitive overload”. Once the presence of the inconsistency is determined it becomes quite easy to present the lying individual with intrusive questions. The intrusive questions are important because in this case the individuals look so sincere that it becomes impossible for an ordinary individual to believe that they are lying. The deceiving individual is so cunning that he makes an extra effort to hide his facial expressions so it becomes impossible for theother person to realize that the individual is lying because the liar is so well adapted to lying that he effectively hides all emotions. In such crucial cases, the Micro Expression Training Tool provides us with an edge and enables us to empower ourselves to reognize liars and be able to handle them appropriately. The Micro Expression Training Tool has been developed by The Paul Ekman Group in an effort to help us realise that micro expressions are not impossible to decode and they can be handled with exceptional observational skills in an effort to prevent the liar from hiding the inconsistency that he is feeling. In this particular case, the individual so cunningly lies and deceives people that it requires extra efforts to be able to identify and recognize the conveying signals which betray the liar and inform the “other side” that the individual is undergoing consistency. The ability to hide consistency is the foremost obstacle faced by individuals in analysing and interpreting liars. Conclusion: In modern business and social society, it does not matter what language you speak or what ethicity you belong to, what matters is the facial expressions you utilize in the expression of anger, shame, contempt, deceit and other common emotions. Most of these expressions, particularly the ones involved when conveying inaccurate information, remain on the face for a very limited period of time. Therefore, in order to be a better person it becomes essential to acquire exceptional observational skills. The exceptional observational skills enable you to recognize signals which convey inconsistency even when you are distracted by your own thoughts. Furthermore, individuals that are cunning and are able to hide their expressions are the most difficult to analyse as conveying signals remain for a fraction of a second on their faces. Dr. Paul Ekman has developed the Micro Expression Training Tool which empowers people with the ability to recognize microexpressions in an effort to be more able to analyse situations and mediate actions accordingly. In accordance with a recently published study which was conducted by Tamara Russell of The London University, revealed the effectiveness of Micro Expression Training Tool. The research showed that individuals who were treated with the tool were more effective in determing the accuracy of statements offered to them.It was revealed that they were more effective in recognizinf the signs unraveling the competition for resources experienced by the liar which leads to the leakage of visible or audible signs which proves the presence of an inconsistency. The leakage of visible or audible signs which is referred by Dr. Paul Ekman as the “HOT-Spot” is crucial in the identification of lies wrapped in sugar coated words which are often perceived by the other individual as truth. (Ekman 2009). Humans have been deceiving one another since the very beginning and in order to become better individuals we have been seeking ways to recognize deception. Furthermore, to empower ourselves with the ability to succeed in every possible way we have developed effective negotiating skills. Apart from the interpretation of facial expressions and body language there is another method avalaible for the recognition of deception and is reffered to as the polygraph examination. The polygraph is very effective in determining the level of accuracy in a statement. (The polygraph 2003). As far as the development of effective negotiating skills is concerned, it is far more important to be able to develop the ability to spot lies because only then can an individual acquire the skills of effective negotiation. A negotiation must never be rigid and a sucessful individual is one who is flexible and is ready to mold according to the given circumstances. Therefore, in an effort to become a better individual it is important to be able to spot lies which inevitably results in better negotiating skills. On the other hand, when negotiating it is important to anlayse the situation and be able to express the desire of exhibiting flexibility such as throwing a few unintended concessions or ignoring the mistakes of the other party in an effort to enable them to save face. The senior vice president of Blue Cross of California states that “it is important to be willing to sweeten your position to make your point”. This statement reflects the importance of flexibilty in everyday issues and in the business world. Effective negotiating skills also depend upon research as stated by the Delores Ratcliff, the president and founder of the Association of Black Women Entrepreneurs, in Los Angeles, “Research will enable you to base your priceon your needs, your market value, and what the other side can afford to pay”. (Black enterprise 1970). Lastly, it is worth mentioning the fact which is evident by the proofs provided by this paper that the key to success indeed lies in the ability to be able to detect lies and conduct an effective negotiation. References: FORD, C. V. (1996). Lies!, lies!!, lies!!!: the psychology of deceit. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Press. ZASTROW, C., & KIRST-ASHMAN, K. K. (1990). Understanding human behavior and the social environment. Chicago, Nelson-Hall Publishers. “Reading Others” by John Pearse and Cliff Lansley, (2010). (http://www.ekmaninternational.com/media/4581/reading_others[2]%20cliff%20n%20john.pdf). Lie Detection. (http://www.vibrabrain.com/page/Lie+detection). (1970). Black enterprise. New York, E.G. Graves Pub. Co.]. MILLIKEN, M. E. (1998). Understanding human behavior: a guide for health care providers. Albany, Delmar. CORVETTE, B. A. B. (2007). Conflict management: a practical guide to developing negotiation strategies. Upper Saddle River, NJ, Pearson Prentice Hall. Becoming versed in reading faces by Paul Ekman, 2009. (http://www.paulekman.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/Become-Versed-in-reading-faces.pdf). COMMITTEE TO REVIEW THE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE ON THE POLYGRAPH (NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL (U.S.)), & NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL (U.S.). (2003). The polygraph and lie detection. Washington, D.C., National Academies Press. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=87191. Read More