Paper short abstract:

Our target of interest is the research field of truth verification. We focus on the reciprocal influence of specific modes of seeing and corresponding sociotechnical interaction when certain visual methods such as eye tracking are used as a tool for truth detection.

Paper long abstract:

In Germany, the field of truth verification is divided into those who engage in the practice of credibility assessment, and those who engage in research on the characteristics of "deception" and the possibilities of its detection. The latter address this question within the broader research field practicing 'memory detection'. A similarity of this research and the practice is the collective vision of the need for an appropriate tool to verify truthfulness in measuring behavior or psychophysical reactions of a person. A host of contemporary procedures are in use like e.g. polygraph-tests, eye tracking, EEG or brain imaging methods.

In this talk, we explore the sociotechnical practice of visibilizing deception in the research field of truth verification. We focus on the reciprocal influence of specific modes of seeing and corresponding sociotechnical interaction that are at play when certain visual methods such as eye tracking are used as a tool for truth detection. On the basis of our laboratory research, we will provide insights on the rationales of visuality, where the reaction and behavior of the test subject are measured and assessed in respect to his/her "truthfulness". We outline the levels where the different aspects of seeing, visibilizing and using visual tools intersect in the use of truth verification technologies that measure psychophysiological responses to visual stimuli. By highlighting the dynamics of this intersection we discern the various desires and aspirations that are inscribed in these kinds of research applications and discuss the underlying concepts of deception and truthfulness.