title: Effects of micro- and subtle-expression reading skill training in medical students: A randomized trial.
abstract: to investigate the effectiveness of the Micro Expression Training Tool (METT) and the Subtle Expression Training Tool (SETT) to help improve the non-verbal communication skills of medical students.
  
  
  
  In a randomized controlled trial, all participants were randomly allocated to either a training (n=41) or control group (n=41) and were pre-tested before education with METT and SETT at baseline. Then, training students took second tests after a 1-h class about interpreting micro and subtle expressions and control students took the second tests without the class.
  
  
  
  METT pre-test scores were positively related with female gender, agreeableness, whereas SETT pre-test scores were negatively related with age and positively related with female gender. Mean METT score increases of 29.3% and mean SETT score increases of 36.2% were observed after training, whereas the control group achieved only a mean METT score increase of 11.0% at second testing. Increases in both test scores in the training group were significantly higher than in the control group.
  
  
  
  METT and SETT are effective, simple tools for improving the micro- and subtle-expression reading skills of medical students.
  
  
  
  METT and SETT can be effective for improving the non-verbal communication skills of medical students.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Education, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, South Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Ho
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, South Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Jung
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Education, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, South Korea; Family Medicine Clinic and Research Institute of Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, South Korea. Electronic address: saylee@pnu.edu.
authors.forename: Sang Yeoup
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Education, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sun Ju
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Im
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Education, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, South Korea.
authors.forename: So Jung
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Yune
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Education, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sun Yong
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Baek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D004521:Educational Measurement; D004644:Emotions; D004645:Empathy; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009633:Nonverbal Communication; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D056910:Republic of Korea; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Empathy; Facial expression; Medical student; Nonverbal communication