[Part 3] The Blueprint of Testimony: An Integrated Model of Information Management, Linguistic Structure, and Self-Presentation

Hello everyone!
I am your behavioral psychologist.

In this series, using Michael Peterson's video materials as a subject, I have organized:

• Part 1: Information Management Behavior in Initial Reactions

• Part 2: Changes in Narrative Structure of Testimony (Alternation between Concretization and Abstraction)

I have organized these.

In Part 3, I will integrate these findings and present an overall model of how testimony is constructed.

The purpose of this article is not to determine truth or falsehood, but to organize how a narrative is designed within a social situation as a communication phenomenon.

⚠️Caution⚠️

The analysis presented here is not a "proof of falsehood," but an organization of behavioral and linguistic structures that indicate possibilities of cognitive load, information management, and self-presentation.

In psychologist Paul Ekman's research, while basic emotions such as anger, joy, sadness, fear, surprise, and disgust are considered universal across cultures, the way they are expressed varies significantly depending on culture, context, and social role.

In other words, humans are beings who always behave at the intersection of 'emotion × social role × strategy'.

The purpose of this article is not to "doubt others," but to reduce misunderstandings, deepen understanding, and lead to better dialogue.

Please do not forget "hospitality" and "sincerity."

Sincerity is what matters.

1. The Institutional Environment of the Courtroom

Testimony is not merely a reproduction of memory, but a social act generated within an institutional context.

In the courtroom,

• the jury

• the prosecution

• the defense counsel

• Media

• Public gaze

exists, and narratives always becomeobjects of evaluation.

Therefore, testimony is

• memory

• emotion

• strategy

• legal advice

influenced by, and becomes asocially constructed narrative.

2. Theoretical Organization of Impression Management

In social psychology, it is known that people adjust their self-image in interpersonal situations (e.g., Goffman's self-presentation theory).

In the context of testimony,

• sincerity - victimhood

• rationality

• appropriateness of emotional response

become important subjects of evaluation.

Seen in Peterson's testimony are

• emphasis on emotional episodes

• depiction of third parties (doctors, police, family)

• narrative of one's own state of confusion

is understandable as a strategy for constructing a self-image.

This is not false evidence, but a fundamental mechanism of social interaction.

3. Integration of Cognitive Load, Linguistic Structure, and Non-Verbal Behavior

Here, we integrate the findings from Part 1 and Part 2.

Part 1: Information Management Behavior

• Confirming the amount of evidence held by the other party

• Information seeking to determine speech strategy

Part 2: Changes in Narrative Resolution

• Concretization in verifiable areas

• Abstraction in unverifiable areas

These are not independent phenomena, but can be considered different aspects of the same process.

As cognitive load increases, narratives become more abstract and information management behaviors increase

This model is also consistent with the conclusion in meta-analyses of deception research that 'signs of lying are weak and depend on load and strategy.'

4. Testimony Blueprint Model

As an integrated model for this series, the following structure is assumed.

Four-Layer Model of Testimony Construction

① Memory Layer

• Actual events

• Reconstructed memories

② Cognitive Load Layer

• Stress

• Attention Allocation

• Emotional Response

3. Linguistic Structure Layer

• Concrete Description

• Habitual Description

• Increase in Connectives

• Abstraction

4. Self-Presentation Layer

• Performance of Sincerity

• Performance of Victimhood

• Presentation of Social Role

These four layers interact to form a single social product known as a statement.

Therefore, a statement must be understood not as a dichotomy of "truth vs. lies," but as a multilayered construct of memory, load, language, and social strategy.

5. Summary of this Series

Part 1 demonstrated information management behaviors in initial responses. Part 2 showed the characteristics of narrative structure, specifically changes in narrative resolution. Part 3 integrated these to organize statements as social constructs.

The key implications derived from this case are as follows:

• Determining truth or falsehood based solely on non-verbal signs is difficult

• Linguistic structure is strongly influenced by load and strategy

• Statements are designed within a social context

In other words, reading the blueprint of a narrative is more reproducible than 'detecting lies'
is an important perspective.

References

• DePaulo, B. M., et al. (2003). Cues to deception. Psychological Bulletin.

• Vrij, A., et al. (2006). Detecting deception by manipulating cognitive load. Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

• Sporer, S. L., & Schwandt, B. (2007). Moderators of nonverbal indicators of deception. Psychological Bulletin.

• Goffman, E. (1959). The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life.

• Hauch, V., et al. (2015). A meta-analysis of linguistic cues to deception. Journal of Language and Social Psychology.

Finally

Thank you for reading this far!
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Also, this article was featured, so please take a look and read it 🙇

Here are some others!

The 'I remember...' series is a five-part work, so if you'd like, I think it will be easier to understand if you read it from the beginning.

This is also recommended!

Please check this out too!

For those who want to learn more, deepen their understanding of reading gestures, and study diagrams and case-specific responses, please see the paid articles 👇

※ Recommended for those who want to correctly understand gestures and engage in dialogue that utilizes 'hospitality' and 'sincerity' while reducing misunderstandings.

Also, everyone, please take care of your health and yourselves.

See you later!!!