HOSTILE INTENT: KAN HOSTILE INTENT ONTDEKT WORDEN DOOR MIDDEL VAN PRIKKELING?

An experiment is conducted in order to uncover whether hostile intent can be detected by means of signaling. For the experiment video images were used of people with and without hostile intent. They walked past a police officer, carrying a package that contained either legal or illegal material. Legal material in the non hostile intent condition and illegal material in the hostile intent condition. The police officer was allowed to use two types of signals, either a strong signal or a weak signal. In case of a strong signal, the police officer said “code red seen” in the direction of the subjects. In case of a weak signal the police officer said also said this, but whilst looking in a different direction. Subjects in the hostile intent condition didn’t make less eye contact than subjects in the non hostile intent condition. People hiding their intentions don’t make less eye contact than people who have nothing to hide. Subjects with hostile intent did not show more emotions either, (smiling or startled looking) than subjects without hostile intent. But people with hostile intent and a strong signal did smile more than people with hostile intent and a weak signal. This did not apply to people without hostile intent.