Deception is in the eye of the communicator: Investigating pupil diameter variations in automated deception detection interviews

Abstract

Deception is pervasive, often leading to adverse consequences for individuals, organizations, and society. Information systems researchers are developing tools and evaluating sensors that can be used to augment human deception judgments. One sensor exhibiting particular promise is the eye tracker. Prior work evaluating eye trackers for deception detection has focused on the detection and interpretation of brief eye behavior variations in response to stimuli (e.g., images) or interview questions. However, research is needed to understand how eye behaviors evolve over the course of an interaction with a deception detection system. Using latent growth curve modeling, we test how pupil diameter evolves over one's interaction with a deception detection system. The results indicate that pupil diameter changes over the course of a deception detection interaction, and that these trends are indicative of deception during the interaction, regardless if incriminating target items are shown.