LIE DETECTION TECHNIQUES WEEK 1
(FORENSIC 5) INTRODUCTION AND THE NATURE OF POLYGRAPH
Course description:
The course includes studying the different methods and techniques in
lie detection. Thus, this deepens the anatomy of lying, its theory, kinds,
and types. The course also includes the conduct of polygraph
examination. It covers the history, personalities, and developments of
lie detection in different countries as a tool of crime investigation and
relation to court proceedings.
Learning Outcomes and Competencies:
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
Cognitive Objectives:
● Demonstrate understanding and comprehension of the principles
and concepts in polygraphy and the continuous development of
the technology behind the polygraph machine, and
● Recognize the contributions of the polygraph as an aid in the
investigation of offenders and administration of justice.
Affective Objectives:
● Attribute the significance of studying the human nervous system
physiology in relation to deception detection.
Psychomotor Objectives:
● Formulate test questions, describe chart marking, interpret chart
probing, use the interrogation techniques applied in polygraphy.
FORENSIC 5 Lie Detection Techniques | Week 1 Notes
Intended Learning Outcome (ILO):
At the end of the learning period, the students should be able to:
• Associate the purpose of utilizing polygraph in lie detection, its
value, and various applications especially in a criminal
investigation.
Lying is a common occurrence in a human's daily life. A lying person
often has an unexpressed intention to mislead and fabricate stories.
Some individuals are better liars than others; they always stick to their
statements as if they were true.
On the other hand, when a person lies, such as denying committing a
crime, he experiences certain internal sensations. This may include
feelings of uneasiness, gripping the intestines, rapid palpitations of the
pulse and heart, the rush of blood to the face, or even uncontrollable
impulse to swallow the saliva due to the fear of possible detection of
his/her deception. Due to these circumstances, the scientific and
instrumental method of lie detection was conceived.
The interrogation of criminal suspects may not be easier today than
before, but at least on an objective basis. Objectivity on the part of the
examiner is required. However, it is not enough to conduct scientific
method technique, but also discernment of the suspect's psychology.
These three factors – the scientific method, scientific technique, and
psychological insight, were lacking during the ancient and medieval
attempts to determine the truth. Indeed, in many parts of the world,
today, methods of ordeal and torture are still employed.
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The Nature of Polygraph
The term “Polygraph” literally means “multiple writings” and is
now often connected to the term “lie detector.”
Even though the word polygraph is often interchanged with the
term lie detector, the polygraph machine does not and cannot detect
lies. A polygraph is an instrument that was constructed to record the
different physiological changes on the subject’s body that can be
evaluated and analyzed by the polygraph examiner. Changes in the
subject’s body pertain to breathing, perspiration or sweat, changes in
blood pressure, and pulse was triggered by lying. However, there are
some changes in the body of a lying subject that cannot be recorded
by the polygraph such as dilation of the pupil of the eye and
contradiction of involuntary muscles. Such circumstances can also
occur even if the subject is being truthful. These physiological changes
may be caused also by embarrassment, anger, nervousness, and
others.
In short, the one who will determine or decide whether the
subject is being deceptive or truthful is not the polygraph machine but
the operator of the machine or the polygraph examiner, also known as
the Forensic Psychophysiologist. The examiner will evaluate, analyze,
and study the physiological reaction of the subject’s body during the
instrumental interrogation recorded by the polygraph. The examiner
concludes whether these changes were due to lying or caused by
other factors such as nervousness.
In summary, a polygraph machine only serves as a mechanical
instrument to record the various physiological changes of the subject
during an instrumental interrogation. The machine cannot detect lies
as it is incapable of drawing or reporting any conclusion. It was
constructed and designed to assist a trained and qualified examiner in
providing a diagnostic opinion.
FORENSIC 5 Lie Detection Techniques | Week 1 Notes
What is a diagnostic opinion?
What comes out of a polygraph examiner’s mind comes from
a supposition of diagnostic opinion.
The value of a polygraph is directly proportionate to the training
and skills of the examiner. An examiner is a fallible human being subject
to error. For example, if an examiner is prejudiced, untrained, or the
instrument is not well maintained and not regularly calibrated, he is
likely to make erroneous conclusions.
In some cases, the examiner may find a subject to be lying
when the subject is just highly nervous.
A polygraph machine is a sensitive machine that is likened or
compared to an x-ray machine, which requires proper interpretation
for validation. Its accuracy is said to be directly proportional to the
operator's knowledge, skills, education, desire, competency, and
integrity. Without interpretation and validation of the result, it will not
render value.
A polygraph machine records the changes in the subject's
respiration, sweat, blood pressure, and pulse rate in the form of
graphical tracings or writings; these are
1. Thoracic breathing patterns,
2. Abdominal breathing patterns,
3. Galvanic skin response (subject’s sweat/ perspiration), and
4. Cardiospymograph tracing (blood pressure and pulse rate).
The top two graphical tracings are the thoracic (coming from
the chest area) and abdominal breathing (coming from the stomach
area) of the subject that indicates changes in the subject’s breathing
or respiration. The third line or the middle tracing is the electro-dermal
response or the subject’s degree of sweating. The bottom part of the
chart is cardiosphygmograph tracing that indicates the changes in
blood pressure and pulse rate of the subject.
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 Important Terms:

Polygraphy: the scientific method of detecting deception with

the aid or use of a polygraph instrument.

Polygraph: a delicately-engineered instrument that

simultaneously records the changes in respiration,
electrodermal activity, and cardiovascular activity.

Polygraph Examiner is the one capable of detecting deception

and verifying the truthfulness of a statement through the use of
a polygraph instrument. An examiner has completed formal
education and training in conducting polygraph examinations
and is certified by his agency to conduct such examinations.

Subject: any person who undergoes polygraph examination.

An analog polygraph machine with its four graphical tracings

Polygraph Examination: a process that encompasses all
activities between a polygraph examiner and an examinee
during a specific series of interactions. For a valid polygraph
examination to exist, the respiration, electrodermal activity or
EDA, and cardiovascular activity of a subject must be
monitored and recorded.

3
The Four Tracings of Polygraph

FORENSIC 5 Lie Detection Techniques | Week 1 Notes Page 3 of 6


An example of a Polygraph Examination
A polygraph examination is different from a polygraph test because a
polygraph test refers to techniques applied or used by the polygraph
examiner in a particular polygraph examination. The examiner in a
particular polygraph examination uses relevant-irrelevant test, general
question test, the peak of tension test, comparison question test, and
other tests or techniques available in the field. The test or technique to
be used by the polygraph examiner depends on the nature or type of
examination to be conducted.
The distinction between Polygraph Examination and Lie Detector Test
Technically, a lie detector test covers any tests intended to detect
deception and verify the truthfulness of an individual. Any test
conducted with or without an instrument, for as long as the purpose of
conducting the test is to know whether the subject is lying or not, is
considered a lie detector test. On the other hand, a polygraph
examination is a specific example of a lie detector test available in the
FORENSIC 5 Lie Detection Techniques | Week 1 Notes
field today. However, a polygraph examination is conducted using a
polygraph instrument and administered by a qualified examiner.
Two Types of Polygraph instruments
1. Conventional Polygraph Instrument
The conventional polygraph is the old and traditional type of instrument
being used in polygraph testing today. It records different systems of
the human body such as respiration, galvanic skin response (or known
today as an electrodermal response), and cardiovascular activity.
Conventional Polygraph
2. Computerized Polygraph Instrument
The Computerized instrument is a sophisticated state-of-the-art
computer-aided polygraph instrument. It allows the examiner to collect
and store physiological data from the subject in the easiest way with
no hassle. It records the same systems of the human body as that of the
conventional instrument. However, it has some additional features
which are not available in the conventional instrument.
One of the most crucial parts of the polygraph examination is the
interpretation, analysis, and validation of data of physiological
changes recorded on polygraph charts. At present, examiners rely on
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their subjective global evaluation of the charts, various partly objective
numerical scoring methods, and computerized algorithms for chart
scoring, or some combination of the three. A computerized system has
the potential to minimize or even eliminate bias in the interpretation
and reading of charts that exist with human scoring. The extent to
which they can improve accuracy depends on how one views the
appropriateness of using the knowledge available to examiners, such
as behavioral observations and the historical background of the
subject. Such computer systems have the potential to perform such
tasks as polygraph scoring better and more consistently than human
scorers that were usually applied in analog polygraph machines.
Most computerized polygraphs contain scoring algorithms. These are
computer programs that are supposed to evaluate and analyze the
polygraph charts and provide indications of truthfulness or deception.
However, as a trained and qualified examiner, he should not rely on
these scoring algorithms as his primary tool of data evaluation and
interpretation. He must rely primarily on his knowledge, training, and
expertise.
Computerized Polygraph Instruments
FORENSIC 5 Lie Detection Techniques | Week 1 Notes
Uses and Application of Polygraphy
1. Pre-employment screening - a test given to applicants seeking
employment with a certain company or agency. Some private
companies in the Philippines require their applicants to undergo
polygraph screening tests to filter out unsuitable candidates.
In the United States, pre-employment screening is applicable only to
government agencies such as the FBI, the CIA, the Secret Service,
the Department of Energy, and the like. The polygraph pre-
employment test is prohibited for private company utilization due to
the changes made by the Employee Polygraph Protection Act of
1998 (EPPA) which prohibits private companies to subject applicants
to a polygraph test as part of their screening process.
2. Periodic audit - a test used to determine the honesty and integrity of
the present employee with the company.
In the United States, periodic polygraph testing is also prohibited in
private companies under the EPPA. However, in other countries
including the Philippines polygraph testing is allowed. According to
some private companies, both pre-employment and periodic
polygraph testing provide an effective preventive measure.
3. Case Investigation - a test commonly conducted in the field when
there is an incident or issue under question.
4. Paired testing - a polygraph test conducted when there are two
persons who assert contradictory statements. In this test, both
persons simultaneously undergo a polygraph examination in
separate rooms with different examiners.
5. Post-conviction sex offender testing - a test conducted on those
convicted of sex crimes to monitor their behavior while under parole
or probation. Presently, this provides effective monitoring
procedures in the field.
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6. Use of polygraph examinations in aid of fraud investigation,
insurance claims and others - In a very complex and long inquiry,
there is much to be learned about relationships between a target
and various apparent confederates and third parties. A polygraph
used in an investigative examination may prove helpful as a tool to
obtain this information. Most of the time, wrongdoers are willing to
submit to a polygraph examination to prove to others that they are
not lying about their statements and claims.

7. Civil litigation - as a rule in the admissibility of polygraph tests, it is a

must that all parties agree to admit the result into evidence. The
polygraph test result is intended either to corroborate the testimony
of the witness, to discredit or to impeach the witness.

8. Parole monitoring - in some countries, it is used as a tool to control

and check the people on parole.

Some uses of polygraph as an aid in criminal investigation:

1. Eliminates an innocent subject.
2. Recognizes false complaints.
3. Determines the veracity of information provided by the
informants.
4. Provides a new key to an investigation when all other
standard investigative techniques have been exhausted.
5. Narrows the focus of inquiry.
6. Gathers additional information on particular suspects.
7. Speeds up the process of investigation as an invaluable aid
to the investigator.
8. Obtains additional investigation leads to the facts of an Reminder: For consultation or any question/s regarding
offense after the test indicates that the suspect lied or tried the topics discussed above, please don’t hesitate to
to cover-up what he knew. contact your instructor at:
9. Locates fruits or tools of crime such as stolen car, murder E-mail: jhasminmarie.mendoza@pccr.edu.ph
weapon or whereabouts of wanted persons. Fb messenger: Jhasmin Marie Borces
10. Obtains valuable information from reluctant-witness.

FORENSIC 5 Lie Detection Techniques | Week 1 Notes Page 6 of 6