Pioneering scientist to lead Human Effectiveness seminar on emotion and cross-cultural communication

  • Published
  • By John Schutte
  • 711th Human Performance Wing
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio - --  Dr. David Matsumoto, professor and director of the Culture and Emotion Research Laboratory at San Francisco State University, as well as founding associate and director, Huminteell, LLC, will lead a research seminar on the role of emotion in cross-cultural communication on May 29, 2009 from 10:00 AM to noon at the Air Force Institute of Technology's Kenney Hall at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. 

Dr. Matsumoto's visit is sponsored by the 711th Human Performance Wing, Human Effectiveness Directorate (711 HPW/RH) as part of a series of high-visibility guest speakers implemented by Dr. Morley Stone, 711 HPW/RH chief scientist. 

Dr. Matsumoto will discuss new findings and understandings--especially regarding universality, culture and cultural differences, micro-expressions, deception, and dangerous intent--that have inspired new theoretical advances into the understanding of the universality of facial expressions of emotion. 

He will also describe recent work on the spontaneous expressions of congenitally blind individuals that isolate potential cognitive sources of facial expressions of emotion, as well as work on new expressions, and on the interpersonal functions of emotional expression. 

Dr. Matsumoto is an internationally recognized leader in culture and emotional cognition research whose work has contributed significantly to America's national defense. His groundbreaking research on emotion, facial expressions, and bodily gestures is also being applied in fields as diverse as immigration, athletics, and business. 

"We are fortunate to be able to link to OSD's Minerva initiative through AFOSR," Dr. Stone said. "Dr. Matsumoto's work is a great example of how social-cultural research is having a profound effect on DoD operations. His research ties directly to RH's interest in plugging biological and behavioral signatures into AFRL's Layered Sensing architecture." 

Dr. Matsumoto is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, editor of the "Cross-Cultural Diversity" section of Social and Personality Psychology Compass, and an editorial board member of many other psychology and psychology-related periodicals.
 
He has assisted the 711 HPW/RH Anticipate and Influence Behavior Division by writing a chapter titled "The role of emotion in escalating violent non-state actors to hostility" for the recently published book Protecting the homeland from international and domestic terrorism threats: Current multi-disciplinary perspectives on root causes, the role of ideology, and programs for counter-radicalization and disengagement.
 
The seminar is open only to WPAFB personnel; it is not open to the general public. Kenney Hall is Room 2200 of Building 642 in the AFIT complex at 2950 Hobson Way.
 
For more information, please contact John Schutte at 937-255-3796.