Do you see what I see? Learning to detect micro expressions of emotion

The ability to detect micro expressions is an important skill for understanding a person’s true emotional state, however,
these quick expressions are often difficult to detect. This is the first study to examine the effects of boundary factors
such as training format, exposure, motivation, and reinforcement on the detection of micro expressions of emotion. A 3 (training
type) by 3 (reinforcement) fixed factor design with three control groups was conducted, in which 306 participants were trained
and evaluated immediately after exposure and at 3 and 6 weeks post-training. Training improved the recognition of micro expressions
and the greatest success was found when a knowledgeable instructor facilitated the training and employed diverse training
techniques such as description, practice and feedback (d’s > .30). Recommendations are offered for future training of micro expressions, which can be used in security, health, business,
and intercultural contexts.