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FORC 105

LIE DETECTION TECHNIQUES

 

 
College of Criminal Justice Education
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Module No. 1

POLYGRAPHY
Topic

2nd Semester 2021-2022

Ma. Diana F. Alcoseba

Instructor I

Leo L. Casilagan
Instructor I

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1. DEFINITION OF TERMS:
a. Polygraph- is a composition of two words, “poly” which means “many”
and “graph” which means “writing chart”. It is defined as a scientific
instrument especially designed to record psycho-physiological changes
that occur within the body especially of lying when questioned. This is not
an electrical device that detects lies or truth, but is an instrument used to
determine whether or not statements made by the subject taking the test
are deceptive.
b. Polygraphy- is a scientific method of detecting truth or deception
through the use of polygraph machine. Polygraph testing is often used to
confirm or exonerate person’s involvement in any suspected activity or
wrongdoing. In the absence of any other corroborative evidence, this is of
great significance.
c. Polygraph Test- is a series of relevant, irrelevant, and control questions
prepared by the examiner, for the matter under investigation, and asked of
the person being examined.
-Consist of 4 relevant, 4 irrelevant and 2 controlled questions
Proven Successful Usage of Polygraph

1. Eliminating Suspects
2. Recognizing false complainants
3. Testing informants to determine the veracity of information provided
4. Providing a new “key” to an investigation when all other standard
investigative techniques have been exhausted
5. Narrowing the focus of the inquiry
6. Gathering additional information and evidence
7. Assisting to focus the investigation on particular suspects

2. Common Polygraph Myths

a. Myth 1- The Polygraph is no good because it is not admissible in court,

right?

This is the most used excuse for not taking a polygraph examination. The fact
of the matter is that it is used in court in certain situations.

 Accuracy and Reliability

The Principle of Polygraph testing have been developed over the past 100
years and have been subjected to hundreds of scientifically validated studies.

Accuracy: 90%

Inconclusive: 10%

(Conducted by the Psychology Department University of Utah Funded by

the U.S Treasury Department)

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Latest Study (1998) 98% accurate

 Admissibility in Court

Many Countries all over the world have utilized polygraph technique as a
method of lie detection. It has been proven that it is valuable aid in investigation. In
some countries, polygraph results are admitted as evidence in courts. In the U.S.,
almost all courts utilized polygraph and more than one half of this court accepts it as
evidence in criminal prosecution.

 Frye v. U.S Federal Appeals Court 1923

 Picciononna v. U.S Federal Appeals Court 1989
 Dauber v. M. Dow U.S Supreme Court 1993
 Scheffer v. U.S Supreme Court 1998
Note: Please search for the case above, read and understand. This will be recorded as
your output. Send it on our Google Classroom.

Reasons why polygraph results are not admissible in court:

 It has not been standardized as to the instrumentation

 As to the test procedure
 As to the qualification of Polygraph Examiners.

b. Myth 2- if you are nervous you will fail the polygraph test.

Being nervous is common. If a person is not nervous when they take a

polygraph test, then that is unusual. Being nervous doesn’t cause a person
to fail a polygraph test, lying does

Here’s how a polygraph examiner looks at each person’s nervousness:

1. A truthful person maybe nervous because he is afraid of the unknown.
2. An untruthful person may be nervous because he is afraid of what he
knows to be true.
In addition, you must remember that:

1. Nervousness, on the polygraph recordings, does not look like deception

to the polygraph examiner.
2. Nervousness does not prevent the polygraph examiner from
distinguishing between truth and untruth.

c. Myth 3- I had a friend take a polygraph test and he failed it even though
he was telling the truth.

If you are telling the truth the chances of failing a polygraph examination
are very slim. The polygraph cannot “say” anything. It merely records on a
chart your bodily reactions to the question being asked. It is up to the

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polygraph examiner to “read” the information your body provides, and he

does so with an extremely high degree of accuracy.

d. Myth 4- “I’ve heard that machine can be beaten”

This is habitual expression made by the mislead and misinformed skeptics,
or the one who “got by” with something important to him during his
previous test. People cannot beat a polygraph test. They beat the
competency of the examiner conducting the test. A polygraph machine is
simply an instrument that records changes in autonomic reactivity when
confronting a given stimulus (question). The examiner is capable to
determine when the examinee engages in behaviors that are designed to
distort polygraph tracing and there is an attempt to influence the outcome
of examination. Truthful examinees are cooperative and follow
instructions whereas deceptive examinees will attempt to engage in certain
behavior to distort the normal tracings.

“BEAT” the Polygraph

Detects Indications Result
Nervousness Pulse Rate Talk, Release Tension
Drugs Pulse vs. Breathing Re-Schedule
Mind Control Straight Tracing Repeat Questions
Muscle Control Movements, Jerks Remind Examinee

e. Myth 5- “Does test hurt? Will I get electric shock?

No, the test NOT hurt. Also, there is no possibility of your getting an
electric shock. The only discomfort some people experience is the slight
pressure on the arm because of the standard blood pressure cuff.

f. Myth 6- “I have a high blood pressure. Won’t that look as though I’m
lying?

While blood pressure is the principal polygraph recording, high blood

pressure does not cause the characteristics pattern that results when a
person is untruthful. Characteristic pattern created by either high or low
blood pressure differs from deceptive tracings. A truthful pattern is readily
apparent even though a person has a blood pressure problem.

g. Myth 7- drugs and alcohol affect the results/accuracy of polygraph

examination.

Polygraph Examiners utilize certain procedures during a polygraph test to

ensure that each person taking a risk is responding naturally throughout
the testing procedure. If the subject is taking any medication, inform the
Polygraph Examiner prior to the test

h. Myth 8- I thought the examination would only take about 10 minutes.

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A real polygraph examination will take anywhere between 1 ½ to 3

hours under normal circumstances.
Question: Can Someone Under the age of 18 Take a polygraph test?

Yes. A polygraph test can be conducted on any person under 18 years old,
provided that he has full discretion of what is right or wrong. Parent’s consent is
required prior to the test. No examination should be conducted on anyone under 12
years of age.

3. FOUR MAJOR COMPONENTS OF POLYGRAPH

Human beings are conditioned to believe that lying is morally and biblically
crime. They do not like to lie but do so consciously or unconsciously while they are
under pressure. Lying produces uneasiness and anxiety. Those two conditions in turn
generate different physiological effects that are occasionally visible and most often
detectable in a lie detection device such as polygraph. The physiological effects of
lying are being recorded and measured by the following polygraph components:

a. Pneumograph Tubes- are fastened around the subject’s abdominal and

thoracic pat of the body to monitor the subjects breathing. As the subject’s
inhales and exhales, the tube, an accordion like, expands and contracts
causing changes of pressure inside the tube. These changes are transmitted
to the recording bellows causing a forward and backward movement to the
pivot shaft to which the recording bellows causing forward and backward
movement of the pivot shaft which the recording pe is connected. (There is
rise in breathing rate accompanied by a decrease in the depth of each
breath also well-known as the shallow breathing. The Pneumograph
aspects of the polygraph measure these.

b. Galvanograph- The Galvanic Skin Reflex (GSR) is measured by attaching

a set of electrodes to the surface of the hand, or to the fingers of the hand
which measures difference in the electrical resistance of the skin as the
question sweats under pressure. Electrical conductivity increases with a
rise in sweating due to the electrolyte concentration found in perspiration.
(There is a rise in sweating. The galvanograph aspect measures this sign).

c. Cardiosphymograph- A Blood pressure cuff, or the type used by

physicians, is fastened around one of the examinee’s arms. When cuff is
inflated, it monitors changes in the mean blood pressure and heart rate.
(There is a rise in blood pressure and pulse rate. The cardiograph aspects
measure these essential signs.)

d. Kymograph- An instrument for recording variations in pressure, as of

the blood, or in tension, as of a muscle, by means of a pen or stylus that
marks a rotating drum. This component moves the chart paper at a timed
rate of speed, 6 inches a minute on present instruments, so that the blood-

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pulse pressure, respiration, and GSR can be continuously recorded all at

one time.

The theory of polygraph Examination: “when a mentally

normal person tells lie, physiological changes occur within
his body that could be recorded by the instrument and
evaluated by the examiner.”

4. USES OF POLYGRAPH EXAMINATION

a. Criminal Investigation
1) It is an aid to the investigator.
2) It speeds up the process of investigation
3) It eliminates innocent subject.
4) The investigator can concentrate one subject to determine truth
or deception.
- It is valuable tool of criminal investigation. It provides fast
means of eliminating innocent suspects, give clue about the
identity of criminal suspects, verify statements of those who are
involved and save a lot of time and effort during the process of
investigation.
Prohibited Practices

1) The investigator should not subject the examinee to prolonged

interrogation immediately before polygraph examination.
2) The polygraph instrument must not be used as psychological
props in conducting interrogation.
3) A prospective examinee is never informed that his or her
innocence or guilt will be decided based on the results of the
polygraph examination.
4) The investigators do not request a mass screening of possible
suspects to produce real suspects. (This mass screening violates
the policy of investigation techniques and produces have not
been applied., leads exhausted, and normal investigative
functions)
5) The investigators do not make the final determination as to the
examinee’s fitness for polygraph examination.
b. Pre- Employment- the fastest and most accurate means of verifying
the statements of job applicant from derogatory remarks by a
previous employer who bears personal grudge against him
c. Periodic Screening- Tis is the best way for the company to
determine dishonest employees who are responsible for any loss.
d. Banking and Finance- ex. Cash Shortage, ATM Shortage
e. Insurance Investigation- ex. Insurance claims for dead members;
container vans were held-up etc.
f. Sexual Harassment/ Domestic Issues- A lie detector test may be
helpful in cases suspected violence in the family, molestation, sexual
harassment, and infidelity within a marriage.

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g. Employee Theft/Fraud Industrial Espionage/Pilferage- Several

private investigation agencies make frequent use of polygraph test
findings during the course of private investigations in a wide range
of subjects. Tests to question an employee suspected of theft or
embezzlement.
h. Sports and Competition – Occasionally, athletes are issued a
polygraph test to verify that they did not cheat in a contest. This is
more frequently done with winners, but is not limited to them.
Competitions with high rewards for winners create the most
incentive to gain unfair advantages, such as performance enhancing
drugs or illegal equipment. Many competitors are told at that they
will be subject to polygraph test upon completion of the event,
which deters some from participating if those individuals know they
will be caught.
5. LIMITATIONS OF POLYGRAPHY
a. The polygraph does not, and cannot, detect truth or deception. The
polygraph is limited in that only what the subject or witness believes
to be true can be verified or discredited, not the actual facts. This is
not an electrical device that detects lies or truth, but is an
instrument used to determine whether or not statements made by
the subject taking the test are deceptive.
b. It is a test where the accuracy is dependent upon the examiner. It
produces a chart record of the psychological changes caused by a
person’s emotional responses during the test. From the chart record
an examiner may form an opinion that an examinee was not
emotionally disturbed by the questions during the test and was
therefore, truthful. He may form an opinion than an examinee was
deceptive since physical responses were present as a result of the
emotional disturbance caused by the questions. Interpretation of
test charts depends upon the training, experience, capabilities, and
skills of the examiner.

The Role of the Investigator

a. He should make a thorough effort in interrogate any person

suspected of lying before submitting a polygraph request. To a
large measure, the success of any polygraph test will depend
upon the investigator. If the case has not been investigated
properly, the polygraph may not be contributed to its successful
conclusion. He must orient his investigation upon evidence
secured through skill and technique, rather than upon an
expected self-disclosure through the polygraph test; however, he
should never discount the polygraph.
b. He should inform the examiner of any unpublicized facts which
could be known only to the victim or the offender. This could
include the exact amount of money stolen, the caliber or make of
the weapons used, or the means entry. These will enable the

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examiner to construct specific tests which may provide accurate

reactions and results.
c. The investigators must obtain the authorization for the
examination from the authorizing representative. When this has
been approved, he presents a copy of the message of approval to
the examiner for the polygraph case file.
d. The investigator, with the examiner, should set the exact time,
date, and place of the test. He should brief the examinee on the
night prior to the test, emphasizing that he should get plenty of
sleep and not drink any alcohol or take any rugs. On the day of
the test, he should accompany the examinee to the place of the
test and introduce him to the examiner. During the test, the
investigator should remain there. If the room is equipped with
sound equipment or a two-way mirror, he should watch and
listen to the test. If required, he should arrange for the
examinee’s meals. If the examinee is a female, a female witness
must be present.
e. The investigator must be able to brief the examiner on minute
details.
General facts, theories, and suspicions are not enough; the
examiner must have detailed, verified facts. He should make
available to the examiner the personnel records of the person and
all statements, documents, and evidence.

Some of the information the examiner must have

include the;

1) Specific articles or exact amounts of money stolen.

2) Exact time the offence occurred.
3) Peculiar aspects of the offense or any strange or obscene act
committed at the scene.
4) Known facts about a suspect’s actions or movements.
5) Facts indicating a connection between suspects, victims, and
witnesses, especially when they deny any connection.
6) Exact type of firearm, weapon, or tool used.
7) Results of laboratory tests.
8) Background information pertaining to the person.
6. FORMS OF LYING
a. Deception- involves acting in such a way that leads another person
believe something which you, yourself do not believe to be true.
b. Perjury- is a legal term for the offense of lying under oath. It is
normally restricted to lies that are also false statement.
c. Bluffing- is an act of deception that is not usually seen as immoral
because it takes place in the context of a game.

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Typical Verbal Interview

Truthful Deception
Direct and Spontaneous Evasive and frequent pauses
Open and clear Story changes or doesn’t make
sense
Story doesn’t change Verbal and non-verbal is
inconsistent
Verbal and non-verbal are Denies factual information
consistent
Denies completely Argues legal issues
Few pauses outside baseline Overly polite
Denial becomes stronger if Memory too good or fails
accused
Offer excuses not facts
Complains excessively
Slips of the tongue

Kinds of Liars
a. Professional Liar
Facial Expression Postural Reaction
Paling, blushing or profuse Inability to maintain an ‘’eye to
sweating on forehead, eyebrows, eye’’ contact.
or chin.
Dilation of the eye, protrusions of Dryness of mouth and loud
eyeball, elevation of upper lid. clacking.
Twitching corner of the lips. Excessive activity of ‘’Adam’s
Apple’’.
Excessive winking. Fidgeting of fingers, trapping or
drumming of chair or table.
Movement of vein at temple. Swinging of one leg to another
Quivering nostrils. Exaggerated boldness and force
laughter
Incoherence trembling and
sweating
b. Pathological Liar
 The stories seem to be dramatic or unrealistic
 The lies seem to serve no purpose except to impress
people
 The lies be easily shown up
c. Psychopathic Liar
 Charming and seems bright.
 No symptoms observed that he is mentally ill.
 No nervousness that commonly seen in a neurotic
person.
 Threat of suicide when n trouble.
 Failure to follow a life plan.

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Reasons to Lie:

 Defense mechanism used to avoid trouble with the

law, bosses, or authority
 Sometimes you lie not to hurt someone’s feelings.
 They lie because they profit from it
 To avoid embarrassment
 For a good laugh.
So, may I ask you to assess yourself to know what category
you belong?

7. PHASES OF POLYGRAPH EXAMINATION

a. Initial interview with the investigator or the person requesting the

polygraph

Requisition of Polygraph Examination

 Four (4) copies of Letter Request
 Brief Facts of the Case/ Investigation Report
 Sworn Statement/ Affidavit of Complainant
 Sworn Statement/ Affidavit of Examinees/ Witness/es
 Sketch of Crime Scene, /witness/es, if available.
b. Pre-test interview with examinee
-this phase is normally the longest to complete and will take
anywhere between 45 minutes to 2 hours.

Purpose of the Pre-Test Interview

 To prepare the subject for polygraph examination.
 Informing the subject of his/her involvement with the case.
 To obtain subject consent for polygraph examination.
 Taking of subject’s or examinee’s personal data.
 To determine the suitability of the subject or the examinee.
 Evaluating the psychological preparation of the subject or
examinee.
‘’ The primary purpose of the Pre-test Interview is to condition the
subject’’

Purpose of Taking the Consent of the Examinee

 The examiner has a legal basis that no human rights violation is

committed.
 That the subject voluntarily submitted his/her self to undergo
polygraph examination.
 It is an armed against harassment
Question: Is Polygraphy examination n invasion of
privacy?

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If you agree to be examined it cannot be termed as an invasion of

privacy, otherwise no examination will be administered.

c. Analysis/ Interpretation of polygraph charts.

d. Post-Test interview
Preparation of the Examinee

 Examinee should take full rest before the examination day.

 Normal food should be consumed by the examinee.
 Subject should be physically fit for test.
 Examinee should not be under the influence of any drug or
intoxication on the examination day.
 No prolong interrogation prior to test.
 No third-degree practices, no physical abuse.
The best steps for a person to prepare for polygraph test are:

Step 1: Plan your polygraph examination at the beginning of the

day when you are still feeling fresh and alert. Do not schedule a
polygraph examination at the end of the day or when you are feeling
tired.

Step 2. Get a good night sleep. Don’t stay up late watching

television or reading. (Be on time in the morning to give you plenty
of time to prepare without rushing.)

Step 3. Eat breakfast if your schedule is in the morning. Follow

your normal habit. If you are a coffee drinker, drink coffee. If you
take any prescribed medications or vitamins, take it. (Coffee,
medications or vitamins will not affect the results of polygraph test.)

Step 4. Plan for polygraph examination that will take an about 2-3
hours. (This include pre-test interview which is the longest phase of
polygraph examination to ensure that you are comfortable during
polygraph examination).

Step 5. Know your legal rights. A polygraph examiner will not ask
questions about religion belief, opinions, ethnic or cultural matters,
politics belief or affiliations, affiliations with activities related to
parties and sexual activities.

COUNTER MEASURES

Those deliberate which a deceptive subject uses in an attempt to

appear non-deceptive when his physiological responses are being
monitored during a polygraph examination.

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Forms:

 PHYSICAL- ex. Use of thumbtacks under the soles of feet

 MENTAL- ex. Hypnosis
 PHARMACEUTICAL- ex. Use of drugs
However, polygraphist has developed an effective ‘’ counter-
countermeasures’’ for this tactic—they can simply instruct the
examinee to remove his shoes. Some polygraph chairs also come
equipped with pressure-sensitive strain gauge that will provide a
warning to the polygrapher if these polygraph countermeasures
are attempted.

8. IDEAL EXAMINATION ROOM

a. It must be spacious for two persons.
b. It must be well ventilated.
c. It must be well lighted.
d. It must not be decorated.
e. It must be 90% soundproof
9. GENERAL RULES IN QUESTION FORMULATION
a. Question must be simple and direct.
b. They must not involve legal terminology.
c. They must be answerable by ‘’yes’’ or ‘’no’’ only and should be as
short as possible.
d. The meaning must be clear and phrase in a language that the
subject can easily understand.
e. All questions must refer to one offense only.
f. Questions must never contain inference (opinion).
g. They must not contain inference to one’s religion, race or belief.
10. ERRORS IN POLYGRAPH TEST
a. Misinterpretation of data in the charts.
b. Lack of training and experience of the polygraph examiners.
c. Countermeasures from the examinee.
d. Equipment malfunction.
e. Failure to properly prepare the examinee for the examination.
f. Poorly worded test questions.
g. Improper assessment of the examinee’s emotional and physical
conditions.
h. Improper use of testing techniques.
CONCLUSION:

Detection of lies is not an easy task, but it does not mean that
detecting lies os impossible.

There is no technique superior or inferior. All the technique will

be used for detection of deception accordingly as per expert ability and
suspect’s behavior.

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SUMMARY:

Polygraph, Polygraphy and Polygraph Test

 Common Polygraph Myths

 4 Major Components of Polygraph
 Capabilities limitations of polygraph
 Phases of Polygraph Examination
 Know the Ideal Examination Room
 General Rules in Question Formulation
 Errors to prevent in Polygraph Test

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