Relación entre la activación fisiológica (movimientos sacádicos y expresión facial) y el autoengaño en la validez del testimonio.

Abstract

Introduction. The validity of testimony is crucial in forensic contexts, as it enables psychological experts to provide objective and scientifically supported evidence in court. Physiological arousal, comprising saccadic movements, and facial expressions, is proposed as an objective method for assessing veracity, while self-deception poses a threat to this objectivity. Objective. To determine the relationship between physiological arousal (saccadic movements and facial expression) and self-deception on the validity of testimony. Methodology. This was a descriptive-correlational, observational study with a quantitative, cross-sectional approach. A total of 176 university students aged 18 to 59 participated. The Pepper robot was used as hardware, along with the Eye_tracker and Emotions software tools. Self-deception was assessed using the SDQ-12 questionnaire as a psychometric instrument. Results. Neutral facial expressions predominated (49.4% - 63.1%), and saccadic movements were mostly upward and centered (>94%). Self-deception showed medium levels (68.2%), with significant but weak correlations. Discussion. The findings suggest a limited relationship between physiological arousal and self-deception, consistent with previous research highlighting the complexity and variability of these physiological indicators when evaluating testimonials. The predominance of neutral responses may indicate the need for specific experimental contexts to identify clear patterns. Further studies with controlled experimental designs and more diverse samples are recommended to enhance generalizability and practical application.