Emotion training through facial recognition may reduce crime

Can emotion training through facial recognition programs for anti-social people lead to reduced crime rates? A team of research pyschologists think so (New Scientist, July 9, 2015).

Biological pyschologists at Cardiff University in Wales are using a computer-based emotion training program to manage anti-social behaviour for criminal offenders.

The researchers are training offenders to read people’s faces. Previous research has shown that people who harm others (which is associated with anti-social behaviour) cannot recognise emotions in other people – such as fear, distress, sadness, or suffering. They trained 25 boys who had been convicted of a crime to recognise a range of positive and negative facial expressions for emotions. Each participant was aged 12-18 years and completed 7-9 hours of computer-based facial recognition exercises over 2-3 sessions. The control group of 25 boys received no training.

The research team found that boys who received emotion training significantly improved their ability to recognise emotions, while those who had no training did not. Over 6 months both groups committed fewer crimes than in the six months before the study. But the trained group committed significantly less violent and severe crimes. They tended to be involved in theft rather than physical aggression. Lead researcher, Stephanie van Goozen, said it was the first time the emotion training through facial recognition has been found to affect real-world crime rates.

However it is a small study of only 25 boys over a short period of time, but the technique and computer-based program is low cost (one person and one laptop computer), especially compared to other long-term training programs, such as behaviour modification. The researchers plan to test more children, and children as young as four years of age who might be at risk of becoming violent offenders or displaying negative anti-social behaviour.

Journal reference: PLoS One, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0132035, doi.org/52s

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