Layered Voice Analysis - lie detector or more

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Layered Voice Analysis:

A lie detector , or more?

Guy Van Damme and Lelani Rautenbach

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PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGYAll truth verification techniques rely on psycho-physiological principals Polygraph Layered Voice Analysis Body language Voice analysis Iris scan Statement analysis


All truth verification techniques rely on psycho-physiological principles. This is so for polygraph, bodylanguage, handwriting analysis, voice analysis, MRI, iris scan,.... The one that most probably does notrely on these principles may be the application of truth serums and / or hypnosis.2

PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY General principle

Human beings, mammals, birds, insects, etc sophisticated survival mechanismInternal regulator = HYPOTHALAMUSHOMEOSTASIS = balance

Life threatening activate: AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (ANS)

body becomes host for changes


Human beings (as well as any other mammals and most other living beings) are endowed with a verysophisticated survival mechanism.Their whole well being depends on the maintenance of an inner balance, fluids and chemicals,throughout every organ in the body.This balance is called homeostasis.3

PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY


In the centre of the brain is a gland called the Hypothalamus: our internal regulator.All our unconscious activities such as sleep, breathing, digestion, pulse, blood volume, respiration etc.are regulated by the autonomic nervous system, controlled by the hypothalamus.When our well being is threatened, physically or psychologically, one or more of our sensors, hearing,sight, smell, taste, touch or even instinct, will send alarm signals to the autonomic nervous systemwhich will activate its sympathetic department and take action.4

Summary of the psychophysiology of a lie

Psycho-Physiology: Brain how it manifests BodyPERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (Body Control Centre)AUTONOMOUS NERVOUS SYSTEM:No control over85-90% of our brain activity

Para-sympathetic:HomeostasisNormal state

Sympathetic:THREAT:Fight or flight mode

WHEN A THREAT IS ENCOUNTERED:Move (jump) from Para-sympathetic to Sympathetic70% of blood directed to major muscles, brain, lungsneed for more oxygenSome glands get an increase in activity, others less: sweat glands, saliva glandBrain gets more oxygen for faster thinkingWHEN WE LIE = REACTION TO THREATGuy Van Damme and Lelani Rautenbach

In our field, when the ear of the subject receives a potentially threatening message from the examiner,this stimulus is transferred via sensory neurones to the temporal lobe of the cerebrum.Regarding treating the nature of the stimulus the signal is send to the frontal lobe (the centre forjudgement and reasoning) where the question is perceived and a judgement made.If the question is perceived as threatening, the alarm is sent from the frontal lobe through thehypothalamus to the sympathetic system which will then take appropriate action nl. a sympatheticresponse. (Note that this whole process cannot even be calculated in microseconds, it is semiinstantaneous).The body is now programmed for " fight or flight" mode. A person is, when threatened limited to twoobvious choices: He is going to defend himself by fighting the menace, attacking the threat or he isgoing to try to avoid the confrontation by physically running away, become paralyzed, freeze, hide....For both actions, whichever his mind has set upon, certain physical parameters will have to change, theperson has left the homeostasis.The adrenal medulla glands will extract adrenaline (hormones known as epinephrine andnorepinephrine) so that certain bodily functions will alter in order to stand the best chance to survivethe emergency.5

FIGHT OR FLIGHT MODE

Sensors sendsALARM toAutomatic Nervous SystemPerceivedTHREATPhysical or PsychologicalSympathetic System takes ActionFIGHT or FLIGHTAutomatic Nervous System


For example, the blood will be instantly distributed to the most important areas like the brain and thelarger muscles, and in other parts the arterioles will constrict, preventing blood going to where it is notneeded.While the sympathetic system organises this whole defense system in next to no time, theparasympathetic system, functionally antagonistic towards his partner, follows up in order to reestablishthe chemical balance of the body.Without these two antagonistic partners, the defence system of the body would go into a high build upand cause damage to the body (E.g.. burst artery in brain). The two of them are essential to maintain aperfect homeostasis.All of the above mentioned physiological activity can be measured and thus used for an indication of aprobability of deception towards questions asked.In essence, truth verification is the same as identifying a jump from homeostasis into a fight or flightmode, in other words, an activation of the sympathetic nervous system as a result of the perception of aquestion as a threat by the subject.6

DIFFERENT LIES & WHAT MOTIVATES THEM


Nobody can live without a certain amount of stress. Crossing a road, trying to catch a train, or simply a feeling of joy is enough to 'trigger' the stress mechanism. Stress is not necessarily bad; stress is part of life as every emotion, every activity causes stress (R. D. Vooijs - 2004)Although stress is also associated with positive emotions, lie detection focuses on negative stress such as stress caused by anger or fear.

everybody has a general notion of what is stress, however, the wide use of the term 'stress' has led to a multitude of different definitionsgeneral consensus: the stress concept involves external or internal stimulation of the organism, which upsets its internal balance (homeostasis).general agreement that stress involves a series of physiological and behavioral changes which prepare the organism for the appropriate coping response, or, the fight or flight mode.

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TELLING LIES / DECEIT

False statement deliberately intent to mislead or deceiveMore harmPsychological retreat from dangerUniversal treatHow many times per day???Individual learns to lieTruth telling + telling lies = intertwined*Family truthLearn nonverbal signals*


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MOTIVES FOR TELLING LIES

To avoid being punished.To gain something otherwise not obtainable.To protect others from trouble.To protect oneself or another from harm.To win the admiration or interest of others.To avoid creating an awkward social situation.To avoid embarrassment.To maintain privacy.To demonstrate power over authority.


People will often hide their true emotional reactions in order to:Guy Van Damme and Lelani Rautenbach

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CALIBRATION

To measure set of graduations that show positions or values To adjust the correct value of a reading to a standard Taking mental snapshot subjects Emotional Free state A Baseline or Benchmark Individuals are unique; each with its own habits, nitty-gritty's > which influence non verbal behaviour Without calibration skills you are driving blind! Calibration enable the interviewer to detect deviations from normal behaviour


WHAT IS LVA Introduction to Layered Voice Analysis

There is no true lie detector: lying is not a unified set of feelings that can be measured.Lying= a deep logical process that is executed with a particular intention.Due to this variety in motivation and intention, there is no fixed set of characteristics that differentiate lies from truth.LVA is capable of detecting the intention behind the lie -> identifying and revealing the lie itself


Professionals in the field of lie detection know that there is no true lie detector, as lying is not a unified set of feelings that can be measured.Lying is a result of a deep logical process that is executed with a particular intention. One might lie to protect oneself from harm, while another might lie to gain profit, or even just to make a joke. Due to this variety in motivation and intention, there is no fixed set of characteristics (physiological or psychological) that differentiate lies from truth. However, LVA is capable of detecting the intention behind the lie, and by doing so can lead you to identifying and revealing the lie itself.

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WHAT IS LVA Voice analysis through computer technology:


Truth verification services are provided by doing voice analysis through computer technology. It provides easy access to truth verification. Whole conversations are analysed and not just yes/ no answers. The analysis process can be done in real-time but conversations are also recorded to enable off-line detailed analysis and reporting. The final report provides comprehensive data and robust quantitative results that can be used together with other information obtained by the client.Speech is used as input and psychophysiology provides the code that detects stress levels, cognitive processes and emotional reactions in voice.

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SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

LVA technology from Nemesysco was invented in 1997 by Amir LibermanBased on proprietary set of vocal parameters correlating with key human emotions -> able to identify deceptive intentionsThese vocal parameters were identified from a bank of audio files taken in different languages, numerous settings, police interrogations, call centres and controlled experimentsThis software is heavily regulated and has evolved from earlier prototypes i.e. Truster Pro to the latest state of the art version, LVA 6.5D


Nemesyscos technology was originally invented in 1997 by Amir Liberman, and is being developed ever since in consultation with experts from different relevant fields (psychology, criminology, phonetics, psychiatry, mathematics and others). The technology is based on a proprietary set of vocal parameters found through research to correlate with key human emotions, and in various combinations to be able to identify deceptive intentions in real life scenarios. These vocal parameters were identified from a bank of audio files taken in different languages and a numerous settings, including police interrogations, call centers and controlled experiments. Many of the parameters Nemesyscos technology uses are new to the world of phonetics, and focus on the uncontrolled and yet phonetically unexplained properties of the human voice. The software has been and is still heavily regulated and has evolved from earlier prototypes i.e. Truster Pro to the latest state of the art software, LVA 6.5D.

Computers can identify digitally unique patterns in the human voice that we as humans have learned to mask and ignore, and Nemesysco, in its 18 years of research, learned to identify and correlate with key human emotions

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The Emotional Diamond ConceptThere are no good or bad emotions it is only the context that makes the meaning

Based on Nemesyscos proprietary Layered Voice Analysis readingsClear and friendly graphical display of ones complex emotional stateCan display both real-time dynamic analysis and a steady state (emotional profile)

The emotional diamond presents only the 8 basic emotions detected by LVAGuy Van Damme and Lelani Rautenbach

To show the complexity of the human emotional reactions in a simple and graphical way, we came up with the emotional diamond concept.It presents LVAs 8 selected and natural reactions, and can show the way they change over time, as the evaluated person speaks.I want you to take a look at the way it is built Energy at the top, stress at the bottom, emotion to the right, logic & confident to the left.LVA technology analyzes few more emotional reactions, and we will discuss them maybe some other time.

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Voice Analysis for Emotion Detection


Now I want to show you the emotional diamond in action.I will be using 2 clips of the same person, and Im sure he requires no introduction.These were taken in 2 different time frames in his life.

[Play the video]

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UneasyGuy Van Damme and Lelani Rautenbach

Take a look at the level of energy, confidence, emotions. No stress, no mental effort. Classic! Feeling at home, loved, he is certainly a well gifted speaker.Now, before I start the second video, does anyone want to take a guess what that is?

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Voice Analysis for Emotion Detection


[Play the video]

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Now we can see a completely different reading:Emotion is gone, energy is gone, and stress is the most dominant emotion.Yet I do want us to keep in mind, the emotional readings of the Diamond are neither good nor bad as of themselves. It is only the context that gives them a positive or negative meaning.and the context comes from our understanding, as humans, and our ability to merry the analysis with the spoken words.

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FROM EMOTIONAL PROFILE TO RISK ASSESSMENT

EmotionalPassionateEnergeticConcentratedStressful

ConfidentthoughtfulUneasyAll Risk Assessment systems arebased on detection of anomaliesNemesyscos Emotional Diamond represents both steady state (Homeostasis)and current state (real-time reactions)Nemesyscos Risk Level is calculated based onmultiple emotion deviations of the current state from the steady stateThe term Lie detection is always MISLEADINGGuy Van Damme and Lelani Rautenbach

Now that you have seen the complexity of the human emotional readings, the next question that immediately comes to mind is: Can this be used to DETECT LIES?Well, the term Lie detection is always misleading, as there are so many types of lies, right? You can lie to protect yourself from harm, you can lie to gain something extra. Most of us lie simply for connivance and some of tell a casual joke. These are all lies, and from emotional point of view, they look completely different. All the systems that deals with Lie Detection or maybe we better start using a better word for it, Risk Assessment are all based on the same principle, acknowledging the fact that a lie is a unique situation. Therefore, all these systems look for the speakers state of homeostasis (stable and peaceful zone) and measure the sudden changes and anomalies. Body language experts examine your natural behaviors to identify sudden changes, the polygraph will measure your heart rate and skin resistance, and LVA too, can be used to learn what your subjects normal emotions readings are, and calculate any significant deviation in it to assess, well, Risk.

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LVA AS AN INVESTIGATION FOCUS TOOL Much more than lie detection


LVA enables a better understanding of a subjects mental state and emotional makeup at a given moment by detecting the emotional content of their speech when responding to questions. This means better insight into the way they think, what is troubling them, what excites them, their uncertainties and sensitive issues. This is used to focus an investigation and identify areas that require more information gathering.Furthermore, the technology enables the user to explore several levels of conscious and unconscious brain activities, thus, exposing additional layers of information that would otherwise be unavailable. This information can save crucial time during an investigation.

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HOW LVA DIFFERSfrom the other lie detection systemsGuy Van Damme and Lelani Rautenbach

POLYGRAPHVOICE STRESS ANALYSISLVASYSTEMMultiple sensors that record heart rate, pulse rate, blood pressure and sweatMicro tremor technology (VSA, PSE, CVSA) measured between 8-12Hz frequenciesAnalysis of the entire audible spectrum of voice frequencies. Up to 3800 algorithms which detect states of stress and emotionsPROSUsed for more than 100 yearsThe tool is heavily regulated and has been subject to numerous detailed scientific studiesTheory based on Micro tremors of Lippoldt. No direct physical connectionNo pre-test interview requiredPreviously recorded conversations can be analysed laterNormal conversation with full phrases and answersNo timing limitation on questionsResults within minutesInvestigation remoteTelephonic interviews are possibleCONSMany health related limitations (pregnancy, epileptics, hearth problems etc.)Someone who knows the theory of control questions can beat the testYes / no questionsLimited to 4 Relevant questions in a standard MGQT testRequires specific, mostly unavailable microphone technology that can measure these frequenciesHumans hear 20Hz-20KHz, telephone 500HzHas been described as pseudoscientificFederally funded research showed "little validity" in the techniqueRelatively new technologyOften confused with Voice Stress Analysis


HOW LVA WORKS

Brain processes emotions

When we talk:


Our brain processes emotions and they manifest through the voice This voice is the manifestation of our brain fingerprint. When we talk, air is pushed from the lungs, through the vocal cords, the lips, tongue and teeth to create the speech flow. The vocal cord's vibrations generate a leading frequency. This frequency range differs according to gender and is very sensitive to any emotions or stress. The human brain also plays a very big part in the generation of speech flow-- any event that occurs in the brain (such as feeling, confusion, pain, etc.) is reflected in the voice. The feelings detected in the voice analysis reveal stress, confusion, hesitation, and deception. LVA technology uses "psychological patterns" detection as well as three different and independent equations. These equations distinguish between stress resulting from excitement and any other emotional stress. Distinctions are also made between confusion and other cognitive or global stress resulting from the circumstances surrounding the issue being discussed. It also distinguishes between "acceptable levels" of stress and between stresses emanating from attempts at deception. LVA detects levels of tension, rejection, fear, embarrassment and attempts to outsmart or answer cynically. It also measures the subject's level of thinking. LVA also measures the willingness of the subject to answer in the relatively new Stop or Say (S.O.S) parameter. Using Deception Patterns, LVA can achieve the greatest accuracy rate in detecting deceptions.

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HOW LVA IS CURRENTLY BEING UTILISED

QA5Call Centers

LVA-i HR Screening

RA7Fraud Detection

LVA 6.50Investigations

SENSE-CMarketing Research

EDPEntertainment

CR7Credit Risk


The LVA technology forms the basis of all the applications that Nemesysco has developed and is packaged in a way that will serve different vertical markets: security, HR, fraud prevention, credit risk, entertainment, and call centers QA.

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HOW LVA IS CURRENTLY BEING UTILISED


USERS OF LVA


LVA is used by leading companies in the world, each in different fields as I have just mentioned.

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VERACITY ASSESSMENT AND THE LAW

Concerning interviewing / interrogation / psychological assessmentCriminal Adjudication:State must prove beyond reasonable doubtCivil Adjudication :CCMA and other labour related issues balance of probabilities


Principles to adhere to in order to use Veracity Assessment Tools:A test cannot be forced. Refusal does not indicate guilt and is not necessary grounds for dismissal;Informed consent needs to be obtained. The subject of the examination must be informed that tests are voluntary, he / she have the right to an interpreter and / or a witness and the type of questions need to be discussed;The examiner needs to collaborate with the employer on detailed questions;A test is permitted when there is reasonable suspicion that an employee was involved in a specific incident;Results can only be released to the employer who requested the examination.

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Veracity Assessments and the Law:

EXCERPT FROM THE CCMA ARBITRATION AWARD ABOUT USE OF LVA:

It is to be noted that the onus of proof in civil matters is on a balance of the probabilities and not as in criminal matters beyond reasonable doubt. On the strength of the above, I am persuaded that the result of the test can safely be accepted as confirmation of the applicants guilt.


Currently there is no legislation specifically addressing and/or regulating the use of polygraph/LVA testing per se in South Africa and the only guidelines are those found in awards made by dispute resolution forums, i.e. Courts, CCMA and private arbitration tribunals; and current labour legislation such as the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995, Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 and the American Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988:Being an open technique, the LVA is not regarded an unfair labour practice tool when used as an investigation focus tool. It is however necessary for management to realise that the application of the results should be handled according to the principles as laid out in the Labour Relations Act.

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PROCEDURE IN CONDUCTING A TEST


Informed Consent:Subjects detailsDetails and results of test to be performedWhat the test will be aboutConfirming understanding prior and after a testThe essential calibration process builds a neutral-emotion profile (aka Truthful Zero Point) of the subject. It measures how a subject reacts when no special emotions are involved and also requires truthful answers. It also takes minor background noise and the subjects mood into account. LVA has a filter to scan suspected samples to ensure that the calibration is not contaminated with deceptive segmentsTesting phase - Online AnalysisOnce the analyzing starts, the different messages guides the operator to formulate and ask relevant questions to the subject during the interviewOnce the operator is satisfied that all aspects relevant to the claim was covered in the interview, the test will be ended.Types of questions askedAll relevant. Guided by information given. Covers all degrees of involvement: 4 CORNERS OF QUESTIONNAIREThis mode is utilized after the Online testing has been completed for an in-depth analysis of pre-recorded material to produce a detailed psychological structure view. This is where the operator cleans the conversation (categorizes each segment) in order to determine exactly what needs to be analyzed in more detail. Once the cleaning process is completed, the segment map will indicate each segment individually with its associated analysis and relate emotional parameters.

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RESEARCH & CASE STUDIES


LVA has been featured widely by the media, with cover stories on Time Magazine Europe (it is talking about the Vericator, a brand name used in the USA back then), Aviation security and speech technology magazines it was also featured on Discovery, BBC, the history channel and RTL to name a few.

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CASE STUDY: RA7 Fraud Detection Solution at UNIQA Insurance (Hungary, 2011)

Sample incident: a 4.3 magnitude earthquake in Hungary, Europe, Saturday, January 29, 2011 at 17:41The day after the earthquake: 163 claims were submitted over the phone.The further away from the epicenter of the quake - the more fraudulent claims were recordedOperators in the call center were able to handle and defeat fraudulent claims as they were received by phoneOnly 119 claims were found to be truthful & 44 (27%) to be fraudulent

MagnitudeLegitimate claimsHigh Risk claims4.39923.620182.20181.306


These are some case studies to the effectiveness of the technology and its ability to reveal the underlying truth This slide discusses a case study by an Insurance company studying the correlation between an earthquake event, the distance from its center, and the number of high risk claims identified by technology. All the cases have been validated by the companys team of investigators.

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With RA7 installed during 2013 it was discovered that small value claims present higher risk in percentage compared to high value claims.Until the RA7 implementation, Allianz did not check 40,000 EU in monthly payouts. RA7 showed that 40% of the small claims contain risk.

CASE STUDY: RA7 Fraud prevention solution at Allianz (Slovakia, 2013)

Water pipes damageHeavy storm damage Hail damageFire damageHeavyrainsAll otherElectrical short circuitGuy Van Damme and Lelani Rautenbach

This is Allianz insurance in Slovakia pretty much telling us the same story 44% of all small claims submitted during the pilot phase contained Risk.

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CASE STUDY: RA7 Fraud prevention solution at Censeo (South Africa, 2015)

During 2014, Censeos investigation unit analyzed a total of 30,000 insurance claims, forwarded to it AFTER initial screening by the insurance companies in-house fraud prevention means.Using RA7, about 20,000 claims (70%) were found to be Low Risk and should not be investigated, improving customer service to the rightful claimants, as wellas saving just about *15,000,000US$ in travels and expenses.(* Based on 750US$ expenses per case, including airfare, hotels and investigators work)Guy Van Damme and Lelani Rautenbach

This is actually a very interesting case study describing a completely different process Censeo is an investigation company employing several dozens of investigators in South Africa, and it is serving several different insurance companies. All these companies use databases and rule engine to flag suspected calls. Those are forwarded to Censeo for investigation, that typically costs the company around 1,000 US$ to complete.As too many of those investigations led to no findings in the past, Censeo decided to start testing claims using RA7 before they actually go out and chase the fraud. The results show that around 70%, or 20,000 cases out of the 30,000 cases they screened last year, were in fact low risk, i.e., no fraud potential, according to RA7. Not chasing those claims, resulted in savings of about 20,000,000 US$ for their clients.

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GENERAL ACADEMICALLY VERIFIED RESEARCHProved The Effectiveness of LVA Technology

We find that higher levels of positive (negative) affect, as operationalized via higher levels of excitement (cognitive dissonance) determined by proprietary LVA software, conveys good (bad) news about future firm performance

A significant correlation was seen between the emotional factors and certain personality traits... Thus the emotions displayed through voice can be used as a tool to determine personality.

Psycholosoft, a research group affiliated with the Department of Psychology at Japan's Tsukuba University, determined that Nemesysco's Layered Voice Analysis (LVA) technology is a reliable and valid tool for detecting mental stress through speech.

It is clear that LVA is a powerful tool to assess the sexual arousal of pedophiles.


Not to neglect the academic side, Nemesysco invests heavily in cooperation with the academy all over the world, and we promote practically any research project that we believe can benefit from the LVA capabilities. Duke in the USA studied the correlation between CEOs positive and negative voice effects to their share price and companys performance, MAMATA college in India studied correlation between LVA parameters and PF16 personality test, UNISA used LVA to validate pedophile treatment, and Tsukuba university in Japan validated our measurements of stress. Another study published in the USA compared the effectiveness of the LVA (earlier version) to those of Polygraph and the VSA on 100 real police cases Can you guess who did better?

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Thank youGuy Van Damme and Lelani Rautenbach

Layered Voice Analysis - lie detector or more

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