Human Communication Research for the Center for the Management of Information, University of Arizona; Associate Director, Media Interface Network Design Laboratory, University of Arizona
Credibility assessment is an area in which information systems research can make a major impact. This paper reports on two studies investigating a system solution for automatic, noninvasive detection of rigidity for automated interviewing. Kinesic rigidity has long been a phenomenon of interest in the credibility assessment literature, but until now was infeasible as a veracity indicator in practical use cases. An initial study unexpectedly revealed the occurrence of rigidity in a highly controlled concealed information test setting, prompting the design and implementation of an automated rigidity detection system for interviewing. A unique experimental evaluation supported the system concept. The results of the second study confirmed the kinesic rigidity found in the first, and provided further theoretical insights explaining the rigidity phenomenon. Although additional research is needed, the evidence from this investigation suggests that credibility assessment can benefit from a rigidity detection system.
Screening individuals for concealed information has traditionally been the purview of professional interrogators investigating crimes. However, the ability to detect when a person is hiding important information would have high value in many other applications if results could be reliably obtained using an automated and rapid interviewing system. Unfortunately, this ideal has thus far been stymied by practical limitations and inadequate scientific control in current interviewing systems. This study proposes a new class of systems, termed autonomous scientifically controlled screening systems (ASCSS), designed to detect individuals’ purposely hidden information about target topics of interest. These hidden topics of interest could cover a wide range, including knowledge of concealed weapons, privacy violations, fraudulent organizational behavior, organizational security policy violations, preemployment behavioral intentions, organizational insider threat, leakage of classified information, or even consumer product use information. ASCSS represent a systematic synthesis of structured interviewing, orienting theory, defensive response theory, noninvasive psychophysiological measurement, and behavioral measurement. To evaluate and enhance the design principles, we built a prototype automated screening kiosk system and configured it for a physical security screening scenario in which participants constructed and attempted to smuggle a fake improvised explosive device. The positive results provide support for the proposition that ASCSS may afford more widespread application of credibility assessment screening systems.
Historically, information systems (IS) researchers have questioned which research paradigms, activities, and methods IS research should follow. In this paper, we argue that different research methods and activities may interact with each other, different research paradigms may complement each other due to such interactions, and therefore, a multimethodological, cross-paradigm research approach may result in better IS research than a singular approach. Three existing multimethodological IS research frameworks are reviewed and summarized into an integrated approach. Two types of interactions between different research methods across system evaluation and theory testing research activities are identified. A three-year research study about a computer-based training system for deception detection (Agent99 Trainer) provides a concrete example to demonstrate the existence and research benefits of these two types of interactions, as well as the benefits of a multimethodological, cross-paradigm IS research approach.
The increased chance of deception in computer-mediated communication and the potential risk of taking action based on deceptive information calls for automatic detection of deception. To achieve the ultimate goal of automatic prediction of deception, we selected four common classification methods and empirically compared their performance in predicting deception. The deception and truth data were collected during two experimental studies. The results suggest that all of the four methods were promising for predicting deception with cues to deception. Among them, neural networks exhibited consistent performance and were robust across test settings. The comparisons also highlighted the importance of selecting important input variables and removing noise in an attempt to enhance the performance of classification methods. The selected cues offer both methodological and theoretical contributions to the body of deception and information systems research.
A major consideration in designing and adopting new communication technologies is their impact on communication processes and outcomes. One way to understand this impact is according to the principle of interpersonal interactivity. Findings from two investigations are reported here that address how properties of task-related communication conducted with differing interfaces relate to perceptions of interaction partners and the outcomes of their collaborative work. Study 1 manipulated the interface affordances of mediation, contingency, and modality richness. Study 2 examined the affordance of mediation. Results show that interfaces that promote higher mutuality and involvement lead to more favorable perceptions of partners' credibility and attraction, and those perceptions are systematically related to higher-quality decisions and more influence. Discussion focuses on the relation between user perceptions, design features, and task outcomes in human-computer interaction and computer-mediated communication.