Gestures-adapters for persons involved in the crime in non-instrumental lie detection

Abstract

For verification, the pantomimic production of the interviewed persons is of particular interest. When deceiving, the number of illustrative gestures and emblems that accompany human speech is reduced. Fear of exposure produces adaptive and resourceful gestures in motor production, which is aimed at satisfying the need for self-preservation and restoring mental homeostasis under stress. The team of authors classifies adaptive gestures as resource gestures in case of deliberate concealment of information. They include stroking and touching their own body. The authors analyse the ethological, psychological and anthropological aspects of the tactile kinesics of hominids, primates and Homo sapiens. The purpose of the work is a differentiated study of gestures-adapters in case of deliberate concealment of information from persons involved in the crime on the control questions of a structured survey conversation. The study involved 20 persons involved in sexual crimes against minors and 20 respondents aged 18 to 65 who were not involved in the crime. A comparative analysis revealed that rapport was quickly formed among uninvolved persons, emotional stress decreased, and the mechanism of psychological adaptation to the test was triggered. The persons involved dissociated from the verifier, their level of physiological stress increased, verbal and non-verbal “leaksˮ of information arose. Resource pantomime (trance gestures, manipulator gestures, self-cleansing gestures, grooming, adapter gestures) was observed in 95 % of the subjects. During deception, adapters were fixed in 40 % of horizontal and vertical strokes and 30 % of self-touches. Body movements were aimed at restoring mental homeostasis and self-regulation of neuropsychic stress and unconsciously reproduced the tactile contact of the mother-child dyad.