In-Game Motion Dynamics Provide a Means of Exploring the Cognitive Dynamics of Deception

Citation: D. O'Hora, S. Redfern, N. Duran, A. Zgonnikov and D. Sweeney, "In-Game Motion Dynamics Provide a Means of Exploring the Cognitive Dynamics of Deception," 2018 IEEE Games, Entertainment, Media Conference (GEM), Galway, Ireland, 2018, pp. 1-9, doi: 10.1109/GEM.2018.8516438.
keywords: {Games;Task analysis;Electronic mail;Entertainment industry;Media}

User interfaces that produce an immersive and intuitive in-game experience depend on a strong coupling between user input and the motion of game objects. Such user interfaces require a high sensitivity to user movement that has the potential to reveal characteristics of user cognitive processes that occur during gameplay.

This project investigates whether cognitive processing during deception affects in-game motion. Here, two paradigms allow deception to be expressed over repeated trials and in a naturalistic setting. The first, an interactive exhibit at Science Gallery Dublin, tracked motion as users responded deceptively to autobiographical statements. The second, a two-player bluffing game, tracked motion during unsanctioned, motivated deception.

The findings indicate that in-game motion is influenced by the cognitive processes underlying deception. In-game motion provides an important source of data on human psychological processes that can stimulate theoretical progress within psychology and contribute to the development of more credible artificial agents.