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POLYGRAPHY AND LIE DETECTION EARLY METHODS OF DETECTING DECEPTION

JOPERSON G. PABLO, [Link]., REB, REA  Trial by Combat
 Trial by Ordeal - the church’s substitute for a trial until the 13th century wherein guilt
or innocence was determined by the ability of the accused of being unscathed
OPERATIONAL TERMS through dangerous and painful test.
 POLYGRAPH  Trial by Hot Iron Ordeal (Africa)
o an instrument for the recording of changes in blood pressure; pulse rate, o The suspect had a red hot iron placed on his tongue.
respiration and skin resistance as indication of emotional disturbances  If the suspect’s tongue was not burned, he was judged innocent.
especially of lying when questioned.  If the suspect’s tongue was burned, he was judged guilty.
o The word was derived from the word POLY means “many” and GRAPHS o The tension of guilt supposedly caused a cessation of salivary secretions
means “writing chart.” which would allow the tongue to be burned.
o POLY (MANY) - GRAPH (RECORDING)  Ordeal by Balance
 POLYGRAPHY – the scientific method of detecting deception, using a polygraph  Ordeal of Rice Chewing (China)
machine. o Suspect was required to chew a mouthful of rice powder and then spit it out.
 FEAR – emotional response to specific danger that appears to beyond a persons  If the rice was moist, the suspect was judged innocent.
defensive power.  If the rice was dry, the suspect was judged to be guilty.
 STIMULUS – a force or motion reaching the organism and excites the receptors. o The tension of guilt supposedly caused a cessation of salivary glands of
 REACTION – an action in mental attitude evokes by external influence. secretion of fluids.
 DECEPTION – an act of deceiving or misleading usually accompanied by lying.  Donkey’s Tail Ordeal (India) - suspect was told to walk through a darkened tent
 DETECTION – an act of discovery of existence, presence of fact or something then pull the tail of the donkey that was standing inside. The suspect was told that
hidden or obscure. the donkey was a Sacred Ass and that it would bray when the guilty subject grasped
 LYING – the uttering or conveying of falsehood or creating a false or misleading its tail.
information with the intention of affecting wrongfully the acts and opinion of other.
 RESPONSE – any activity or inhibition of the previous activity of an organism POLYGRAPH
resulting from stimulation.  The polygraph is used to test or question individuals for the purpose of detecting
 SPECIFIC RESPONSE – any deviation from the normal tracing of the subject. deception or verifying truth of statements through a visual, permanent and
 NORMAL TRACING – a tracing on the chart wherein the subject answered in the simultaneous recording of a person’s cardiovascular and respiratory pattern as a
irrelevant question. minimum instrumentation requirement.
 POLYGRAPH EXAMINER – one who conducts and administer the test.  A polygraph (commonly referred to as a lie detector) is an instrument that
measures and records several physiological responses such as blood pressure,
 CHART OR POLYGRAMS – the composite records of pneumograph, galvanograph
pulse, respiration and skin conductivity while the subject is asked and answers a
and cardiosphygmograph tracings recorded from series of questions.
series of questions, on the basis that false answers will produce distinctive
 SUBJECT – the person being examined.
measurements. The polygraph measures physiological changes caused by the
sympathetic nervous system during questioning.
 Within the U.S. federal government, a polygraph examination is also referred to as a
PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL DETECTION OF DECEPTION (PDD) examination.
Several other technologies are also used in the field of lie detection, but the
polygraph is the most famous.
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HISTORY  ANGELO MOSSO – stated that FEAR influenced the heart and could be used as a
 The idea that lying produces physical side-effects has long been claimed. In West basis for detecting deception. He uses sphygmanometer and scientific radio to study
Africa persons suspected of a crime were made to pass a bird's egg to one another. fear.
If a person broke the egg, then he or she was considered guilty, based on the idea  DR. WILLIAM MARSTON
that their nervousness was to blame. In ancient China the suspect held a handful of o conducted numerous tests for detecting deception and utilizes the change in
rice in his or her mouth during a prosecutor's speech. Since salivation was believed systolic pressure to determine deception.
to cease at times of emotional anxiety, the person was considered guilty if by the end o He also developed his own method of reading systolic blood pressure.
of that speech the rice was dry. o Self proclaim father of polygraph.
 1895  JOHN A. LARSON
o CESARE LOMBROSO - an Italian scientist, employed the first scientific o the real “Father of lie detection.”
instrument to detect deception – HYDROSPHYMOGRAPH, measured o The present polygraph machine is attributed to him. He is the one who
changes in pulse and blood pressure when suspects were questioned about developed and studied to record at the same time the responses of the blood
their involvement of a specific offense. pressure, pulse rate and respiration.
 1914
o VITTORIO BENUSSI successfully detected deception with a GALVANOGRAPH COMPONENT
PNEUMOGRAPH – an instrument that graphically measures an examinee’s  STICKER – he introduced the method of detecting deception from the galvanic
inhalation and exhalation. Benussi thus demonstrated that changes in impression on the chart tracing.
breathing patterns accompany deception.  VERAGUTH – he used the word PSYCHOGALVANIC reflex. He believed that
 1917 - further research by WILLIAM MARSTON in 1917 dealt with the electrical phenomena are due to the activity of sweat glands, and such activity is
SPHYGMOMANOMETER, which was used to obtain periodic discontinuous blood known as “psychogalvanic.” He is the first to make Word Association Tests.
pressure readings during the course of an examination.  LEONARD KEELER
 1920 o devised a metal recording bellows - rolled chart paper. – father of
o A device recording both blood-pressure and galvanic skin response was Polygraph
invented in 1920 by DR. JOHN A. LARSON of the University of California o In 1949, he incorporated Galvanograph with measurement of blood pressure
and first applied in law enforcement work by the Berkeley Police Department and respiration into a portable case.
under its nationally renowned police chief AUGUST VOLMER. o Devised the first structural test question – the R&I Test. (Relevant and
o Further work on this device was done by LEONARDE KEELER. The first Irrelevant Test)
time the term "POLYGRAPH" was used was in 1906 by JAMES  LUIGI GALVANI – accidentally discovered that a dissected frog leg would twitch and
MACKENZIE in his invention the "INK POLYGRAPH," which was used for contract spasmodically at the touch of a scalpel charged with electricity. He had
medical reasons. found that current or“galvanic” electricity flowed through animal tissue.

CARDIOSPHYGMOGRAPH PNEUMOGRAPH COMPONENT

 CESARE LOMBROSO  VITTORIO BENUSSI – noted changes in inhalation ratio during indications of
o accorded as the first person that utilizes instrument in detecting deception. deceptions.
o His basis in detecting deception is by measuring the blood pressure and
pulse rate.
o This is known as HYDROSPHYGMOGRAPH.
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TODAY’S POLYGRAPH TECHNIQUES RECOGNIZED & USED THROUGOUT THE o It consists of electrical sensors called galvanometers that are attached to the
PROFESSION subject's fingertips. The skin of the fingertips contains a high density of sweat
 KEELER – R&I glands, making them a good location to measure perspiration.
 REID – Reid Technique
 ARTHER – Arther Technique  KYMOGRAPH COMPONENT
 BACKSTER – Zone Comparison Technique o RECORDER
 UTAH – U/MGQT & ZCT o a motor that pulls or drives the chart paper under the recording pen
 MILITARY – Zone Comparison or Modified General Question Technique simultaneously at the rate of 6 or 12 inches per minute.

MANUFACTURERS (Both COMPUTERIZED & ANALOG) POLYGRAPH MACHINE

 Stoelting Company – Chicago, Illinois  Today, polygraph examiners use two types of instrumentation:
 Lafayette Instrument Company – Lafayette, Indiana o analog
 Axciton o Computerized
 Limestone (newest)  In the United States, most examiners now use computerized instrumentation.

VALIDITY OF POLYGRAPH - US VS. SCHEFFER (1998) – 85%-95% accuracy METHODS OF DECEPTION DETECTION
 DEVICES WHICH RECORD THE PSYCHO-PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE.
FOUR MAJOR COMPONENTS o Recording the Psycho-physiological Response: The nervous control of
 PNEUMOGRAPH the human body includes the central nervous system (the brain and the
o BREATHING spinal cord) and the autonomic or regulating nervous system (sympathetic
o PNEUMO (BREATHING) - GRAPH (RECORDING) and parasympathetic). The central nervous system primarily controls the
o records the subject's respiratory rate. One tube is placed around the motor and sensory functions that occur at or above the threshold. It maybe
subject's chest and a second is placed around his or her abdomen. These voluntary. This kind of detecting deception is through the use of MACHINE –
tubes are filled with air. When the subject breaths, changes in the air THE POLYGRAPH MACHINE.
pressure in the tubes are recorded on the polygraph. This includes:
 WORD ASSOCIATION TEST (WAT)
 CARDIOSPHYGMOGRAPH COMPONENT  Questions are answerable only by YES or NO – but it has
o PULSE no bearing.
o CARDIO (HEART) - SPHYGMO (PRESSURE) - GRAPH (RECORDING)  Important Factor: The TIME of response in relation to
o Blood pressure and heart rate are measured, which consists of a blood stimulus or non-stimulus words.
pressure cuff that is wrapped around the subject's arm.  PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS EVALUATOR (PSE)
o During the questioning the cuff remains inflated.  It is an oral test of about 12 YES or No questions.
 It detects, measures, and graphically displays the voice
 GALVANOGRAPH COMPONENT modulations that we cannot hear.
o SKIN REFLEXES/ PERSPIRATION  Point to remember: When a person is relaxed and
o GALVANO (ELECTRICAL CURRENT) - GRAPH (RECORDING) responding honestly to the questions, those inaudible
o records the amount of perspiration produced. frequencies are registered clearly on the instrument. But
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when a person is under stress, as when he is lying, these  The possibility that the hypnotized subject will deliberately fabricate.
frequencies tend to disappear.  The prospect that the state of heightened suggestibility in which the
hypnotized subject is suspected will produce distortion of the fact
 USE OF DRUGS THAT TRY TO INHIBIT THE INHIBITOR rather than the truth.
o Administration of the Truth Serum  The state of the mind, skill and professionalism of the examiner are
 The term “truth serum” is a misnomer. The procedure does not make too subjective to permit admissibility of the expert testimony.
someone tell the truth and the thing administered is not serum but
actually a drug.  BY OBSERVATION
 In the test, HYOSCINE HYDROBROMIDE is given hypodermically in  SCIENTIFIC INTERROGATION
repeated doses until a state of delirium is induced.  CONFESSION
 When the proper point is reached, the questioning begins and the
subject feels a compulsion to answer the questions truthfully. PHYSIOLOGICAL & PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS OF GUILT
o Narcoanalysis/Narcosysthesis  SWEATING - sweating accompanied with a flushed face indicate anger,
 This method of deception detection is practically the same as that of embarrassment or extreme nervousness. Sweating with a palled face may indicate
administration of truth serum. The only difference is the drug used. shock of fear. Sweating hands indicate tension.
PSYCHIATRIC SODIUM AMYTAL OR SODIUM PENTHOTAL is  COLOR CHANGE – if the face is flushed, it may indicate anger, embarrassment or
administered by the subject. shame. A pale face is a more common sign of guilt.
 When the effects appear , questioning starts.  DRYNESS OF THE MOUTH – nervous tension causes reflex inhibition of salivary
 It is claimed that the drug causes depression of the inhibitory secretion and consequently dryness of the mouth. This causes continuous
mechanism of the brain and the subjects talk freely. swallowing and licking of the lips.
o Intoxication with Alcohol - the apparent stimulation effect of alcohol is  EXCESSIVE ACTIVITY OF THE ADAM’S APPLE - on account of the dryness of the
really the result of the control mechanism of the brain. The apparent throat aside from the mouth, the subject will swallow saliva from the mouth and this
stimulation effect of alcohol is really the result of the control mechanism of causes the frequent upward and downward movement of the Adam’s apple.
the brain, so alcohol, like truth serum and narcoanalysis drugs “inhibit the  FIDGETING – subject is constantly moving about in the chair, pulling his ears,
inhibitor.” rubbing his face, picking and tweaking the nose, crossing or uncrossing the legs,
rubbing the hair, eyes, eyebrows, biting or snapping of fingernails. These are
 HYPNOTISM indicators of nervous tension.
o It is the alteration of consciousness and concentration in which the subject  PECULIAR FEELING INSIDE – there is a sensation of lightness of the head and the
manifests a heightened of suggestibility while awareness is maintained. subject is confused. This is the result of his troubled conscience.
o Not all persons are susceptible to hypnotic induction. Subjects who are
 SWEARING TO THE TRUTHFULNESS OF HIS ASSERTION – usually a guilty
compulsive-depressive type, strong-willed like lawyers, accountants,
subject frequently utters such expression. “I swear to God I am telling the truth” or “ I
physicians and other professionals are usually non-hypnotizable.
hope my mother drops dead if I am lying”, “I swear to Go”…etc. Such expressions
REASONS: Why hypnotism is not admissible in court
are make to make forceful and convincing his assertion of innocence.
 It lacks the general scientific acceptance of the reliability of hypnosis
 SPOTLESS PAST RECORD - “Religious man” – the subject may assert that it is not
per se in ascertaining the truth from falsity.
possible for him to do “anything like that” inasmuch as he is a religious man and that
 The fear that the Trier of fact will give uncritical and absolute
he has a spotless record.
reliability to a scientific device without consideration of its flaw in
ascertaining veracity.
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 INABILITY TO LOOK AT THE INVESTIGATOR “STRAIGHT IN THE EYE” – the o often told to maintain law, order and safety.
subject does not like to look at the investigator for fear that his guilt may seen in his o usually has the effect of helping an elite maintain power.
eyes. He will rather look at the floor or ceiling.  EMERGENCY LIE - a strategic lie told when the truth may not be told because, for
 “NOT THAT I REMEMBER” EXPRESSION – the subject will resort to the use of example, harm to a third party would come of it.
“Not that I Remember” expression when answering to be evasive or to avoid Example: a neighbor might lie to an engaged husband about the whereabouts of his
committing something prejudicial to him. unfaithful wife, because said husband might reasonably be expected to inflict physical
injury to his husband.
LIE  PERJURY
 also called PREVARICATION. o an act of lying or making verifiably false statements on a material matter
 a type of deception in the form of an untruthful statement with the intention to under oath or affirmation in a court of law or in any of various sworn
deceive, often with further intention to maintain a secret of reputation, to protect statements in writing.
someone’s feelings from getting hurt, or to avoid punishment. o a crime because the witness has sworn to tell the truth and, for the credibility
of the court, witness testimony must be relied on an being truthful.
CLASSIFICATION OF LIE  BLUFFING - pretending to have capability or intention one doesn’t. Bluffing is an act
 BALD-FACED LIE - a lie that is told when it is obvious to all concerned that is it a lie. of deception that is not usually seen as immoral because it takes place in the context
Example: A child who has chocolate all over his face and denies that he has eaten the of a game where this kind of deception is consented to in advance by the players.
last piece of chocolate cake, is a bald-face liar.  MISLEADING - A misleading statement is one where there isn’t an outright lie, but
 LYING BY OMISSION - omitting an important fact, deliberately leaving another still has the purpose of making someone believe in an untruth.
person with a misconception. Lying by omission includes failures to correct pre-  DISSEMBLING
existing misconceptions. o a polite term for lying, though some might consider it to refer to being merely
 LYING BY OMISSION - omitting an important fact, deliberately leaving another misleading.
person with a misconception. Lying by omission includes failures to correct pre- o merely considered to be a euphemism for lying.
existing misconceptions.  EXAGGERATION - occurs when the most fundamental aspect of a statement is true,
 LIE-TO-CHILDREN - a lie, often a platitude that may use euphemism, that is told to but the degree to which it is true is not correct.
make an adult subject acceptable to children. A common example is “ The stork  JOCOSE LIE
brought you.” o meant in jest and is usually understood as such by all present parties.
 WHITE LIE o Sarcasm can be an example.
o would cause no discord if it were uncovered and offers some benefit to the o Storytelling traditions that are present in some places, where the humor
liar, the hearer, or both. comes from the storyteller’s insistence that he or she is telling that absolute
o often used to avoid offense, such as telling someone that you think that their truth despite all evidence to the contrary.
new outfit looks good when you actually think that it is a horrible excuse for  PROMOTION LIE - Advertisements often contain statements that are not credible,
an outfit. such as “we are always happy to give a refund.”
o The lie is told to avoid the harmful implications and realistic implications of  AUGUSTINE’S TAXONOMY OF LIES
the truth. o Lies in religious teaching.
 NOBLE LIE o Lies that harm others and help no one.
o one that would normally cause discord it if were uncovered, but that offers o Lies that harm others and help someone.
some benefit to the liar and perhaps assist in an orderly society and thus o Lies told for the pleasure of lying
potentially gives some benefit to others also. o Lies told “please others in smooth discourse”.
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o Lies that harm no one and that help someone. SELECTION OF TEST SUBJECT
o Lies that harm no one and that save someone’s life.  Permanent physical illness such as mental derangement, certain heart condition,
o Lies that harm no one and that save someone’s purity. breathing disorder, and addiction to narcotic drugs are definite causes that makes a
 LYING IN THE BIBLE person unfit for a polygraph test.
o The Hebrew midwives lied to the king of Egypt rather than carry out his order  Temporary illness and conditions such as sickness, injury, pain, physical discomfort,
to kill all male Hebrew babies; the midwives did this because they “feared external physical or mental fatigue, colds, coughs, fever, allergies, and influences of
God.” (Exodus 1:15-20) sedatives and liquor are causes for deferment of the test until such time that the
o Rehab lied to the king of Jericho about hiding the Hebrew spies (Joshua 2:4- subjects regains his ordinary physical condition.
5) and was not killed with those were disobedient because of her faith.  Treatment of the subjects before being asked to make or while awaiting test affects
(Hebrews 11:13) the success of the examination.
o Delilah repeatedly accused Samson of lying to her (Jg. 16:10-13) as she  Prolonged interrogation with constant accusation directed against the subjects may
interrogated him about the source of his strength. condition him to react falsely to the test, or may result to a flat emotionless chart.
o Abaraham instructs his wife, Sarai, to lie to the Egyptians and say that she is  A person’s daily habit should not be upset more than necessary. Long delay should
his sister (Gen 12:10), which leads to the Lord punishing the Egyptians. (Gen be avoided.
12:17-19)
PHASES OF EXAMINATION
CONSEQUENCES OF LYING  PRE-TEST INTERVIEW
 DISCOVERED – discovery of lie tends to discredit other statements by the same o Before the actual testing is done, the examiner must first make an informal
speaker and can lead to social and legal sanctions against the speaker. interview of the subject which may last from 20 to 30 minutes.
 REMAIN UNDISCOVERED – undiscovered lie is a latent danger to the liar who us o To condition the subject psychologically for the test.
probably aware that it may be discovered. o The subject is appraised of his constitutional rights.
o A written consent which must be freely and voluntary given is taken.
THE EXAMINATION ROOM PURPOSE OF PRE-TEST INTERVIEW
 It must be private and free from all outside noise and distracting influences. o To determine whether the subject has any medical or psychiatric condition or
 Adequately lighted and well ventilated. has used drugs that will prevent the testing.
 Devoid of pictures, paintings, decors or other ornaments. o To explain to the subject the purpose of the examination.
 Preferably sound-proof. o To develop the test questions, particularly those of the types to be asked.
 Without any furniture other than a polygraph desk. o To relieve the truthful subject of any apprehension as well as to satisfy the
 Subjects chair with arm rest and an examiner’s stool. deceptive subject as to the efficiency of the technique.
 With one-way mirror and remote sound system for monitoring the test proceedings to o To know any anti-social activity or criminal record of the subject.
an authorized audience.
 ACTUAL INTERROGATION AND RECORDING THROUGH THE INSTRUMENT
THE POLYGRAPH EXAMINER o QUESTION FORMULATION
 TECHNICALLY, he must have a complete knowledge of the instrument and its  Questions formulated are short, simple and direct answerable by
capabilities and limitations. either “Yes” or “No” only, phrased in the language easily understood
 MORALLY – maintain a high personal integrity and increasing personal proficiency by the subjects.
through constant study and research.  The questions must be clear and must have reference to only one
element of an offense of fact.
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o 2 MAIN TYPES OF TEST CONSTRUCTION APPLIED LIMITATIONS OF POLYGRAPH TEST

 General Peak of Tension Test – consists of a series of relevant and  It is an invaluable investigation aid, but never a substitute for investigation.
irrelevant questioned asked in a planned order.  It is a lie detector, it is not a scientific diagnostic instrument.
 Peak of Tension Test - only made when there is no widespread  It does not determine facts, it records responses to that which the subject knows to
publicity about the crime. be true.
 It is only as accurate as the examiner is competent.
 POST-TEST INTERVIEW
o To clarify the findings POLYGRAPH TEST PROCEDURE
o To learn if there are any other reasons for the subject’s responding to a  Not more than 12 questions
relevant question, other than the knowledge of the crime.  At least three (3) charts are taken, each lasting not more than four (4) minutes,
o To obtain additional information and an admission for law enforcement  5 to ten minutes between charts.
purposes, if the results suggest deception.
CHART MARKINGS
3 BASIC APPROACHES TO THE POLYGRAPH TEST  Beginning X
 THE CONTROL QUESTION TEST (CQT)  Stimulus “
o This test compares the physiological response to relevant questions about
 Yes +
the crime with the response to questions relating to possible prior misdeeds.
 No -
"This test is often used to determine whether certain criminal suspects
 Subject fails to answer No sign
should be prosecuted or classified as uninvolved in the crime" (American
 Subject Talks T
Psychological Association).
 Talking Instruction TI
 THE DIRECTED LIE TEST (DLT)
 Coughing C
o This test tries to detect lying by comparing physiological responses when the
subject is told to deliberately lie to responses when they tell the truth.  Mechanical Adjustment Arrow
 THE GUILTY KNOWLEDGE TEST (GKT)  Clearing of throat CT
o This test compares physiological responses to multiple-choice type questions  Outside Noise OSN
about the crime, one choice of which contains information only the crime  Sigh S
investigators and the criminal would know about.  Sniff SN
 Sneeze SZ
OBJECTIVES OF POLYGRAPH TEST  BURP B
 Ascertain if a person is telling the truth by verifying statement and/or comparing  YAWN Y
conflicting statements.  Deep breathing DB
 Obtain additional investigative leads to the facts of an offense.  Subject Laughs L
 Locate fruits or roots of crime or whereabouts of wanted persons.  Breathing Instruction BI
 Identify other persons involved.  Repeat Question R
 Obtain valuable information from reluctant witnesses.  Paper Jam/Jump PJ
 Most important is the elimination of innocent suspects.  Ending XX
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RULES IN INTERPRETATION
 There must be specific response that deviates from the subjects’ normal tracing.
 It must appear in at least two or more chart.

EYES MOVEMENT

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