Workshop on the Use of Autonomic and Somatic Measures for Security Evaluations

University Of Utah, Salt Lake City UT

Investigators

Abstract

Increasing concern with security issues has led to greater interest in improving the technology and methods available for detecting deception. Under direction from Congress, the NSF and the Office of Science Technology Policy are facilitating a series of six workshops to address current and future research on the physiological, psychological, and behavioral aspects of security evaluations. This workshop will focus on what physiological mechanisms and psychological processes underlie changes in autonomic activity associated with stress and deception. Workshop participants will include national and international experts in psycho-physiological theory related the fields of emotion, emotion regulation, autonomic processes, and stress. Workshop participant will present overviews of cutting edge research related to the use of polygraph, theory/mechanisms, and emerging technologies. Presentations will be followed by breakout sessions of the three focus groups to outline a series of research recommendations. The workshop will bring together two-dozen leading academic and government experts for two days in July, 2005 at the NSF. Prior to the workshop the PI will create a website to provide the participants workshop information and a detailed literature review in advance of their meeting. A final report will be prepared summarizing the presentations and views of the workshop participants.