CHAPTER I Module

• NEED –TO- KNOW -CONCEPTS

• What is Polygraphy?

– It is the scientific method of detecting deception with the use of the polygraph instrument. This
is the new name of LIE DETECTION.

– What is a polygraph?

- The term “polygraph” means “ many writings.” the name refers to the manner in which selected physiological
activities are simultaneously collected and recorded. The polygraph is a recorder, of psycho-physiological
changes occurring within the examinee’s body asks a series of test questions.

• Basically, the polygraph instrument is a combination of medical devices that are used by physicians in
monitoring the physical conditions of their patients. As an examinee is questioned about a certain event
or accident, the examiner records and monitors relative changes in the examinee’s heart rate, blood
pressure, respiratory rate, and electrodermal activities

• What is a Lie Detector?

• It is the popular but misleading name of the polygraph. The instrument was so named because it makes
various ink recordings of a person’s body functions which will be interpreted by the polygraphist to
determine whether the subject has been lying or not.

• What is the other name of the Polygraph?

it is also called “Truth verifier” since statistics show that the vast majority of the instances the instrument
verifies an innocent person’s truthfulness.

• What are the concepts of polygraph Examination?

1) Used to test an individual for the purpose of detecting deception or verifying the truthfulness of his
statements.

2) It is done by recording identifiable physiological reactions of the subjects, such as; blood pressure, pulse
rate, respiration and skin resistance.

3) The effectiveness of the polygraph in recording symptoms of deception is based on the theory that ‘ a
conscious mental effort on the part of the normal person to deceive causes involuntary physiological
changes that are in effect a body’s reaction to an imminent danger to its well being.”

• What are the objectives of a polygraph Examination?

• Polygraph examination is conducted in order to:

1.obtain additional investigation leads to the facts of the case/offenses.

2. ascertain if a person is telling the truth.

3. Locate the fruits or tools of the crime and whereabouts of a wanted persons.

4. Identify other persons involved (accomplices of crime).

5. Obtain valuable information from reluctant witnesses.

6. Eliminate the innocence suspects.

• What are the Principal uses of the polygraph examination

• 1. Aid an investigating criminal incidents and issues.

• 2. Speeds up the process of investigation.

• 3. Eliminates innocents suspects.

• 4. Pre-employment screening.

• 5. Honesty test (Periodic test)

• What is the significance of understanding Lie Detection?

– In every criminal investigation, the truth must be established to ensure proper prosecution
of offenders. Criminal investigators must exert all effort to determine lying not only on the part
of the suspect but as well as to everyone involved in the criminal act-witnesses,, victims, etc.

– In establishing the truth, criminal investigators apply various methods such as:
observation; mechanical lie detection; use of drugs that inhibits the “inhibitor”; hypnosis; and
interrogation.

• What is lie?

• A lie is any of the following: untruthful statement, falsehood, anything that deceives or creates false
impression, untrue statements especially with intent to deceive or to give an erroneous or misleading
impression. It is also synonymous to deceit, deception, fabrication, falsehood and untruth.

• What is meant by ‘Detection”?

• In this context, detection is the act of detecting, discovery, perceiving, finding, or uncovering
something obscure such as a lie.

• Why do people lie?

• There are many reasons why people lie. But commonly, it is due to fear detection that one has
committed something undesirable or would like to preserve something valuable. For instance, he may
feel that detection would result to embarrassment, penalty and punishment, thus, placing his whole life
at stake.

• A person’s fear, anxieties and apprehensions are channeled toward the situation which reminds his
instinct of self-preservation to struggle out from the consequences of the wrong he had already done.

• What are the general kinds of lie?

• 1. White lie or benign lie- these are the kind of lies used to protect or maintain the harmony of friendship
or any friendship.

• 2. Pathological lie-this is a lie made by persons who cannot distinguish right from wrong.

• 3. Red lie- this involves political interests and motives because this is a part of communist propaganda
strategy. This is prevalent in communist countries or communist interested nations.

•
Example: Propaganda-brain-washing and blackmail via espionage and treasons.

• 4. Black lie- a lie which accompanies pretensions and hypocrisies, intriguing to cause dishonor or
discredit ones good image.

• 5. Malicious or Judicial lie- this is very pure and unjustifiable kind of lie that is intended purely to mislead
or obstruct justice.

• What are other kinds of lie?

• 1. Fabrication- a lie told when someone submits a statement as truth, without knowing for certain
whether or not it actually is true.

• 2. Bold-faced-lie- is one which is told when is obvious to all concerned that it is a lie.
• 3. Lying by omission-one lies by omission by omitting an important fact, deliberates leaving another
person with a misconception.

• 4. Lie-to-children- often a platitude which may use euphemism, which is told to make an adult subject
acceptable to children.

•
5. Noble Lie- one which would normally cause discord if it were uncovered and is often told to maintain
law, order and safety.

• 6.Emergency lie- is a strategic lie when the truth may not be told because it may harm a third party.

• 7. Perjury- the act of lying or making verifiably false statements on a material matter under oath or
affirmation in a court of law, or in any of various sworn statements in writing.

• 8. Bluffing- pretending to have a capability or intension which one does not actually possess.

•
9. Jocose Lies- are those which are meant in jest, and are usually understood as such by all present
parties. Teasing and sarcasm are example.

• 10. Contextual lies- one can state part of the truth out of context , knowing that without complete
information, it gives a false impression.

• 11. Promotion lies- advertisement often contain statements which are incredible, such as “we are always
happy to give a refund”, or exaggerated predictions such as “You will love our new product”.

• What are the types of Liars?

• 1. Panic Liars-one who lies in order to avoid the consequences of a confession, they are afraid of
embarrassment and it is a serious blow to their ego. They believe that confession will just make the
matter worst.

• 2. Occupational Liars- are practical liars and lies when it has a higher “pay off” than telling the truth.

• 3. Tournament liars- are those who love to lie and are excited by the challenge of not being detected.

• 4. Psychopathic liars- the most difficult type, this persons have no conscience and shows no
regret for dishonesty and no manifestation of guilt.

• 5. Ethnological Liars- are those who taught not to be a squealer (squeal –to cry or to shrill voice-used by
underworld gang in order for their member not to reveal an secret of their organization).

• 6. Pathological Liars-are persons who cannot distinguish right from wrong due to their sick mind. They
are insane.

• 7. Black Liars- are persons who always pretends what he is and what he thinks of himself.

• What is the theory of lie detection?

• It must be recognized that there is no such instrument that could detect lies. The popular name
“Lie Detection”, given to a polygraph, is somewhat misleading. No collection of inanimate object
including the very finest and complicated modern computers, can detect deception on the part of any
human being.

• What is the theory of the Lying Person?

• The polygraph technique uses the principle that the bodily functions of a person are influenced by his
mental state. The physiological changes accompanying deception are capable of being recorded,
measured and interpreted with reasonable certainly.

• Telling a lie is usually an emotional experience.

• The underlying psychology here includes:

 • 1. The lying person fears detection, causing physiological changes to take place in his body.

• 2. Fear of detection must be experienced by the subject; otherwise no physiological changes will occur.

• 3. A person “tunes in” that which indicates trouble or danger by having his sense organs and attention
for a particular stimulus and he “tunes out” that which is of a lesser threat to his self-preservation or
general well-being.

4. In a series of questions during the polygraph test containing relevant and control questions, the lying

subjects will “tune in” on the most intense relevant questions and “tune out” the control question and
may not be materially affected by other weak relevant questions.

5. The truthful subject will direct his attention to the control question wherein he consciously knows he is deceptive
and “tune out” the relevant ones.

• What is the role of the ANS in the polygraph examination?

• In the conduct of polygraph examination, it is based on the idea that a conscious mental effort of a
mentally normal person lie causes physiological changes within his body. The physiological changes
could be recorded by the polygraph instrument and diagnosed or evaluated by the polygraph examiner.

• The physiological effectors in polygraph examination are the AUTOMATIC NERVOUS SYSTEM. It is the
one responsible for regulating mechanism that corrects

• the slightest deviation from a particular standard within very fine limits.

• Sleeps, oxygenation of the blood level of potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and all essential
chemical substances that maintain the activity of all cell membranes finely adjusted. This is found at the
center of the brain and its central controls is in the “hypothalamus”- a group of nerve cells of the brain
that reflexes- those that we cannot control consciously such as our heart beat, pulse rate, increase and
decrease in blood pressure and the expansion and constriction of the arteries are governed by the
autonomic nervous system.

• When one of our senses detects a threat to our well-being, it sends a signal to the autonomic
nervous system, which activates its sympathetic division regardless whether threat is physical or
psychological.

In polygraph testing, the receptor is the ear of the subject, which receives the threatening question or
stimulus is transmitted from the polygraphist. The stimulus is transmitted from the ears via sensory neurons into
the brain where the hypothalamus analyze, evaluates and resolves that particular question.

Other obvious effect took place when the sympathetic system is activated, the heart pumps blood harder
and faster, increasing blood pressure, pulse rate, and strength, thus

• furnishing more oxygenated blood to those areas of the body where it is vitally needed to meet the
emergency, such as the brain when increased mental activity is demanded.

• The second division of the autonomic nervous system is the parasympathetic nervous system. It is
functionally antagonistic to the sympathetic nervous system. Its role is to maintain the homeostasis of
the body necessary for normal functioning. Therefore, it follows to re-establish the chemical balance of
the body.

• What are the external observable signs and symptoms of lies/deception?

• Generally, when a person fears to be detected, signs and symptoms which indicates lies, guilt or
deception could be observe through facial expression or postural reactions such as:

• 1. Stammering and swearing to or before God that he did not commit the offense
• 2. Pointing this guilt to somebody else

• 3. Refuses to answer questions thru alibis and excuses.

• 4. All the time absent-minded

• 5. Always requesting for repetition of questions

6. Often asks counter-questions and counter queries

• 7. Blushing, paling or profuse sweating of forehead.

• 8. Dilation of the eyes, protrusion of eyeballs and elevation of upper eyelids.

• 9. Squinting of the eyes (showing envy, distrust, etc.)

• 10. Twitching of the lips and or excessive winking of the eyes.

• 11. Failure to look the inquirer “straight into the eyes”.

• 12. Excessive activity of the Adam's apple and the vein at the temple due dryness of throat and
mouth. Sometimes with shivering of nose or nostrils

• 13. A peculiar monotone of the voice or a forced laugh

• 14. Rolling of eyeballs from one direction to another

• 15. Often asks permission to go to comfort rooms, etc.

• 16. Fidgeting, tapping or drumming of fingers on the chairs or the other surfaces.

• 17. Swinging of legs or one leg over the other.

• 18. Unnecessary movements of hands and feet (like scratching, nail biting, thumb or finger sucking
19. Pulsation of the artery in the neck.
20. Incoherence, trembling and sweating of the whole body.

• What is the non-verbal Behavioral assessment?

• The corresponding line suspect assessment is the in the non-verbal. In order to achieve a high
level assessment reliability, the verbal portion of the assessment needs to linked with the more obvious
responses of non-verbal behavior. The combined total response record is what provides the

• interrogator or interviewer with the information and insight necessary to the determination of truth and
deception.

• In general, what is being evaluated is the body of natural, unintentional, often instinctual physical
responses to stimuli.

• Sigmund Freud confirmed the significance of non-verbal behavior in assessing the overall
psychological state and the subconscious effect of concealment:

• “He that has no eyes to see, and ears to hear, may convince himself that no mortal can keep a
secret. If his lips are silent, he chatters with his fingertips; betrayal comes out of him from every pore”.
• What are the categories of non-verbal Behaviors?

• 1. Emblems-these are non-verbal behavior expresses the entire communication. No spoken are words
are necessary. Emblems are accurate clues of person’s true feelings and statements.

• Example: Rising of a person’s hand standing alongside the road to “hitch” a ride, even though he never
said a word.

• 2. Illustrators- are non-verbal behavior which assist the listener better understand the verbal
communication. They indicate consistency between non-verbal and verbal messages.
• Example: A distasteful facial expression of a person as he tells you that what he is eating is not very
good.

• 3. Adapters- are non-verbal behaviors that serve no purpose in helping the verbal communication, and
often detract from it. They are indicators of deception. As with illustrators, adapters often occur as hand
gestures and body position and include any type of rubbing, stroking, picking, massaging or touching of
the body or face.

• Example: When asked, “Did you commit that crime?” the suspect verbally reply, “No I did not!” If the
response were accompanied by an illustrator, like touching the chest, he would be confirming his
innocence.

• Verbally he would be saying, “I didn't do it!” then he reinforces the statement nonverbally by pointing to
him saying “You can look right at me, because I didn’t do it!”
On the other hand, if he had covered his mouth as he squeezed his nose, he would have used negative
adapters.

• Covering his mouth makes the verbal message more difficult to understand, while squeezing the nose
indicates disbelief in what is being said.

• What are the areas to note when assessing Non-verbal Behaviors?

• When assessing nonverbal behavior, the interviewer can note five separate areas, which respond
separately and sometimes differentially. Proper timing for observation and assessment of these
nonverbal areas is from the time the interview begins until a few seconds after the interviewee has
answered.

• 1. General Posture-truthful people usually use body position as an illustrator and have an open, settled,
upright position. Deceptive people often show very close and defensive positions, such as crossed arms
and / or legs.

• 2. Head and Face- face is the most common part of the body to observe; however , it is also the most
difficult to interpret: It has a very complex muscular structure and can show more than one emotion at a
time. Thus masking or attempt to conceal the truth through false facial expression is common. While
masking may be attempted to disguise any or all of the five natural, basic emotions that the human face

• can display (sadness, happiness, anger, surprise and disgust), the interviewer or interrogator can
usually identify the underlying emotion. Most often, all persons in an attempt to mask a genuine reaction,
such as fear is smiling. One of the differences between genuine, spontaneous reactions and masking
behavior is illustrated by the false smile.

• These do not affect the eyebrows, which normally are involved in a genuine expression.

• To get beyond masking, it is important to analyze the face as a complex structure and isolate the
individual expressive elements to check for consistency among them. When both eyebrows are raised,
with the mouth partially open, it usually suggests surprise. One eyebrow raised indicates confusion or
skepticism. If the eyebrows are squeezed together and lowered, it suggests anger, worry, and/ or
confusion. In observing the head and face, being with noting the position of the head. The tilting of the
head to the side is an illustrator and generally suggests cooperation; interest a belief in what is being
said.

• 3. Eyes – Eye behavior provides an excellent source of non –verbal information .Breaks in eye contact,
which occur at the appropriate time can be indicative of deception. Exaggerated eye contact is likely to
be masking behavior and should be considered an indicator of the deceptive. People who maintain eye-
to-eye contact too long are trying to replicate sincerity or attempting to dominate you.

• Most liars come into the interview w ith a preconceived idea of what adaptors label suspects as liars.
One of these preconceptions directly in the eyes. Masking attempted; thus, extended eye contact does
not mean the person is extremely truthful, but on the contrary deceptive.