Notes on Polygraphy

(Lie Detection)
Regular Class Version

Presented by:
Evelyn C. Falcatan, PhD., RCrim
Instructress
Sequence of Presentation
Introduction and Definition of Terms
Psychology of Lying
History of Lie Detection
Nature of Polygraphy
The Human Body System
MIDTERM EXAMINATION
Recording Parts of Polygraph Machine
Phases of Polygraph Examination
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Polygraph Machine Operation
Question Formulation
Test Techniques
Chart Markings
FINAL EXAMINATION
Chart Interpretation
Accuracy of Chart Interpretation

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 CHAPTER 1
Introduction and Definition of
Terms

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Introduction
The art of lie-detection originated in the early
medieval period when an unfaithful wife
confessed her guilt after an aide (wise man) of the
king placed his hand on the wrist of the woman,
who was the wife of the king, and during their
casual conversation, the aide always mentioned
the name of the suspected man. Whenever the
name of her paramour was mentioned the pulse of
the wife changed, which was used as the basis of
the wise man’s conclusion that the king’s wife had
an illicit relation with another man.

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It was Cesare Lombroso, the father of
Criminology, who was recorded as the
first man who utilized the machine in
lie-detection of suspected criminals.

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POLYGRAPH is a machine capable of
recording the physiological changes
occurring within the body of the subject
individual.

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The physiological functions, which can be
recorded by the machine, are:
• blood pressure;
• respiration; and
• skin resistance or reaction.
POLYGRAPH
derived from the two
Greek words:
POLY - means Many or
More
GRAPHOS - which
means Writings

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The examiner is the man behind the
machine, who, after evaluation and
interpretation of the physiological
tracings recorded by the subjects,
decides whether the person being
examined is telling the truth or not.

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Generally, there are ten (10) questions
which are composed of:
• four (4) relevant questions,
• four (4) irrelevant questions, and
• two (2) control questions.

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• The subject must be prepared by the
examiner prior to the test by conducting
pre-test interview, which consists of
appraisal of the subject’s constitutional
right, his consent to the test, taking of
his personal data, determination of
subject’s psychological preparation, his
physical condition and informing him of
his involvement in the case.

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According to John Reid and Fred Inbau, two
(2) known experts in the field of investigation
and lie-detection, based on their actual
examinations, polygraphy has an accuracy rate
of 90% - 95%, while James Allan Matte,
currently one of the famous polygraph expert
and known innovator of lie detection, with the
adoption of computer polygraph system and
most modern polygraph technique in the
interpretation of polygraph chart, published
an accuracy rate of 95% - 98%.

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Definition of Terms
POLYGRAPH – an instrument for recording
changes in blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration
and skin resistance as indicative of emotional
disturbance especially of lying when under
examination.
POLYGRAPHY – the systematic method of
detecting deception with the aid or used of
polygraph machine.
STIMULUS – is a force or motion reaching the
organism from the environment that excites the
receptors. In polygraphy, they are the relevant
questions propounded during the examination.
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NORMAL TRACING – response exhibited by the
subject during irrelevant questions, or when
there is no question, which are utilized as the
standard or comparison of response during
relevant questions.
RESPONSE – is any positive activity or inhibition
of previous activity of an organism or of an
effector or part of the organism resulting from
stimulus.
SPECIFIC RESPONSE – is the deviation from the
normal tracing, which is the basis of deception or
act of lying.
SUBJECT – is the person who is under polygraph
examination.
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ADMISSION – is the voluntary acknowledgment or
by implication by a party in interest or by another
by whose statement he is legally bound, against
his interest, of existence or truth of a fact in
dispute material to the issue.
CONFESSION – is the express declaration of guilt
by an accused on the accusation against him.
DECEPTION – an act of deceiving or misleading
usually accomplished by lying.
DETECTION – is the act of discovering the
existence, presence or facts of something hidden.
FEAR – is the emotional response to specific
danger that appears to be potentially beyond a
person’s defensive powers.
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EMOTION – it is the feeling of fear of detection of
deception which is a factor in the result of
examination.
LYING – is the uttering or conveying falsehood or
creating a false or misleading impression with the
intention of affecting wrongfully the acts, opinion or
affection of another.
INTERROGATION – is the vigorous questioning of a
person suspected of having committed an offense or of
a crime who is reluctant to make full disclosure of
information in his possession which is pertinent to the
investigation.
REACTION – is an action/reaction evoke by an external
influence from questions propounded during the
examination.
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• COUNTERMEASURE (CM)- this can be observed
when the examinee does something
deliberately to affect the outcome of the
examination.