Kinesics is the study of body language and is based on the behavioral patterns of nonverbal communication. Body language can include any non-reflexive or reflexive movement of a part or all of the body. Body language can be particularly revealing when a person communicates an emotional message to the outside world. Actions speak louder than words, and it’s not what the subject says but how it is said that counts.
The psychological assumptions underlying kinesics are:
- The deceptive person who experiences physiological changes resulting from his fear of detection will regard the interrogation as a threat, i.e., an intensification of fear;
- The deceptive person’s fears intensify during interrogation at moments when questioning focuses on investigative details having the greatest immediate threat to the person’s self-preservation;
- The deceptive person is aware of physiological changes occurring in the body and may do or say things as a means to disguise the changes; and
- The deceptive person who does not experience fear during an interrogation will not exhibit any of the body movements that can be associated with deception.
The guilty subject has a general fear of an investigation. When the investigation calls for an interrogation of the guilty subject, the fear intensifies. During the interrogation, the guilty subject’s immediate anxieties and apprehensions are directed toward those questions that present the greatest threat to exposure. In other words, a guilty person’s fear of detection increases as the investigation proceeds from the general to the specific.
The deceptive person will tune in on questions that indicate trouble or danger. His mental attention and sensory organs are anticipating particular questions. There is a tendency to tune out questions that are of a lesser threat and to concentrate on questions that lead to exposure.
The interpretation of body language is a normal and necessary function, particularly when interrogating. Kinesics, the study of body language, in recent years has gained prominence in law enforcement, security, human resources, psychology, and psychiatry.
A form of nonverbal communication, body language appears as reflexive and non-reflexive movements of a part or all of the body. Interpreted correctly, such movements can reveal a person’s true inner thoughts. The application of kinesics to interrogating can be enormously helpful in differentiating between truth and deception.
Body language can only be understood within context, which may be situational, the immediate environment, and effects upon the suspect by social and cultural influences. The average person, being unschooled in the nuances of body language, will often misinterpret the signals. A glance, a smile, and a raised eyebrow are signals but each can have different meanings when they appear in different contexts. A smile in one circumstance may reveal happiness, pleasure, and satisfaction; in another it might mean cynicism or disbelief.
People use body language as signals of their thoughts and feelings. Some are deliberate and calculated, such as a frown to indicate disapproval, and some are unconscious such as a crossing of the arms to indicate the presence of a threat. Unconscious signals tend to be subtle and indistinguishable to the untrained eye.
In-depth treatment of kinesics requires considerable demonstration and practice
The interrogator cannot always know what questions will produce fear in the guilty subject. As the line of questioning moves closer to the issues having the greatest psychological threat to the subject, there is likely to be an increase in the number and intensity of deceptive behaviors.
Personal Space
Body language signals appear in threatening situations, increasing in frequency and intensity as the threat draws nearer. They can be likened to signals displayed by territorial animals under attack. Man, being a highly territorial animal, attempts to control his personal spheres, most especially the home and workplace.
Within those spheres are smaller spheres, such as the bedroom and, most notably, the invisible bubble immediately surrounding the body. The personal bubble is the most inviolable of spheres. Threats to the bubble, whether by physical or psychological intrusion, are answered with body language signals.
How we defend our bubble, how we react to an invasion of it, and how we encroach into the bubbles of other people are observable and subject to evaluation. Guarding our bubble is a survival imperative.
At an intimate distance, two persons cannot help being overwhelmingly aware of each other. If such contact takes place between two men, it can lead to awkwardness and uneasiness, if not hostility. Between a man and a woman, such as husband and wife, close physical proximity can be natural and welcome. In short, distance and context count when interpreting body language.
Whether we know or approve of it, we cannot entirely suppress or conceal our body language. An encroaching individual, such as an interrogator who leans in close to the suspect’s face (a physical intrusion) or whose question probes close to a hidden truth (a psychological intrusion), may trigger in the suspect a series of body language signals ranging from finger and toe tapping, twitching, leg swinging, and body rocking. The signals are saying: “You are getting too near, I am uneasy.” If the intrusion continues, the next series of signals may be closed eyes, withdrawal of the chin into the chest, and hunching of the shoulders. They say, “You are in my space. Watch out.”
If you ignore the signals, the “flee or fight” mechanism may kick in, e.g., the suspect will move away or respond belligerently.
Gestures
Body language and spoken language are nearly always intertwined. A comment made without a body signal has a lesser meaning than a comment accompanied by a gesture. In the very simplest sense, a promise to punch you in the nose is more threatening when it is accompanied by the waving of a clenched fist.
Research indicates there are no more than about 30 traditional American gestures, with even fewer body postures that carry any significance, and that each gesture or posture will occurs in a limited number of situations.
Eye Signals
The eyes are rated the most revealing body part; they transmit important signals and do so in ways ranging from extreme subtlety to unmistakable clarity. While the eyeball itself reveals little, the muscles around the eyes reveal a great deal. Much can be learned from a raised eyebrow or a squint – provided we understand the context. A very important eye signal is the stare. From a suspect under interrogation it could mean – again depending on context – disbelief, anger, or defiance. From the interrogator to the suspect, a stare could be saying, “I am waiting for your answer and I’m getting impatient.”
The stare is a cultural taboo. No one likes being stared at. It is very normal to stare at a painting, a dog, or the Moon, but it is neither normal nor acceptable to stare at a fellow human being. The cultural aspect of the stare confers to it special status.
Body Signals
A body language signal is like a word in a sentence. The true meaning of the word cannot be established without knowing all of the other words in the sentence. Like words, body language signals are sent in groups, and the sending is a response to a stimulus. Knowing the stimulus, reading the set of signals, and understanding the context are parts of the interpretive process.
Underlying Principles
A guilty person, when immediately facing possible exposure, will experience physiological changes that cannot be controlled such as a rise in blood pressure and respiration, contraction of the bowels, and release of adrenaline.
The physiological changes trigger body language signals, such as sweating, lip wetting, twitching, and finger and toe tapping, and verbal signals such as “It sure is hot in here” or “I must have eaten something bad this morning.”
A rise in the fear of exposure intensifies the physiological changes and produces a rise in signals and new signals such as crossed arms, hunched shoulders, eye-avoidance, and comments that might start with “To be perfectly honest” or conclude with “And that’s God’s truth.”
Many strong signals are sent through speech. The content of speech can be significant but a much greater significance can be attached to the manner of speech. How something is said can be more revealing than what is said.
An innocent person will experience none or a much lower level of the physiological changes. Body language signals will reflect outrage as opposed to fear, and the verbal signals might include statements like “You must be crazy” and “I don’t have to tolerate this nonsense. I’m outta here.”
A deceptive person may try to reduce tension by:
- Licking lips.
- Swallowing.
- Scratching, pinching and stroking.
- Pulling head hair, ear lobes and nose.
- Wringing hands.
- Drumming fingers.
- Bouncing legs.
- Tapping toes.
- Adjusting clothing, watch, ring, etc.
- Chewing and inspecting nails.
- Covering mouth or eyes.
- Looking away.
A person’s attitude can indicate deception or truth. The deceptive person will:
- Be guarded.
- Hesitate before answering a question.
- Pretend to be unconcerned.
- Rationalize the offense; make it appear to be less than it really is.
- Be uncooperative.
- Unwilling to talk.
On the other hand, the truthful person will:
- Be sincere.
- Be quick to answer questions.
- Be composed.
- Be helpful.
- Be unyielding in denial.
- Give consistent answers.
- Recognize the offense for what it really is.
Kinesics holds that all humans everywhere engage in nonverbal communication. Body language is partly instinctive and partly learned through imitation. To the untrained eye, body language is largely invisible. For the skilled investigator, body language can be a rich source for determining truth.
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