POLYGRAPH-LIE DETECTOR

MODERN LIE DETECTION

TECHNIQUES
Lecture 11 and 12
Instructor: Syed Messum Ali
OPERATIONAL TERMS

POLYGRAPH – is an instrument for the recording of

changes in blood pressure; pulse rate, respiration and skin
resistance as indication of emotional disturbances especially
of lying when questioned.
The word was derived from the word POLY means “many”
and GRAPHS means “writing chart”.
POLYGRAPHY – it is the scientific method of detecting deception, using a
polygraph machine.
FEAR – is emotional response to specific danger that appears to beyond a
persons defensive power.
STIMULUS – is a force or motion reaching the organism and excites the
receptors.
REACTION – it is an action in mental attitude evokes by external influence.
DECEPTION – is an act of deceiving or misleading usually accompanied by
lying.
DETECTION – It is an act of discovery of existence, presence of fact or
something hidden or obscure.
LYING – the uttering or conveying of falsehood or creating a false or
misleading information with the intention of affecting wrongfully the acts and
opinion of other.
EARLY METHODS OF
DETECTING DECEPTION
• Trial by Combat
• Trial by Ordeal
• Trial by Hot Iron
• Ordeal by Balance
• Ordeal of Rice Chewing
• Donkey’s Tall Ordeal
POLYGRAPH

The polygraph is used to test or question

individuals for the purpose of detecting
deception or verifying truth of statements
through a visual, permanent and
simultaneous recording of a person’s
cardiovascular and respiratory pattern as a
minimum instrumentation requirement.
A polygraph (commonly referred to as a lie detector)
is an instrument that measures and records several
physiological responses such as:
 blood pressure,
 pulse,
 respiration and
 skin conductivity

while the subject is asked and answers a series of questions, on

the basis that false answers will produce distinctive
measurements. The polygraph measures physiological changes
caused by the sympathetic nervous system during questioning.
THE POLYGRAPH INSTRUMENT
 THE EXAMINATION ROOM
It must be private and free from all outside noise and
detracting influences.
Adequately lighted and well ventilated
Devoid of pictures, paintings, decors or other ornaments.
Preferably sound-proof
Without any furniture other than a polygraph desk.
Subjects chair with arm rest and an examiner’s stool.
With one-way mirror and remote sound system for
monitoring the test proceedings to an authorized audience.
THE POLYGRAPH EXAMINER

TECHNICALLY, he must have a complete

knowledge of the instrument and its
capabilities and limitations.
MORALLY – maintain a high personal
integrity and increasing personal
proficiency through constant study and
research.
He constantly bears in mind his primary
obligation to his subjects is to afford them all
possible safeguards against error and must not
accept any subjects whose physical or mental
health or state makes him unfit.
He is an impartial seeker of truth.
Never allow his personal feelings, sympathies,
or prejudice influence the results of the
examination.
 SELECTION OF TEST SUBJECT
Permanent physical illness such as mental
derangement, certain heart condition, breathing
disorder, and addiction to narcotic drugs are definite
causes that makes a person unfit for a polygraph test.
Temporary illness and conditions such as sickness,
injury, pain, physical discomfort, external physical or
mental fatigue, colds, coughs, fever, allergies, and
influences of sedatives and liquor are causes for
deferment of the test until such time that the subjects
regains his ordinary physical condition.
• Treatment of the subjects before being asked to make or while awaiting test
affects the success of the examination.
• Prolonged interrogation with constant accusation directed against the
subjects may condition him to react falsely to the test, or may result to a flat
emotionless chart.
• A person’s daily habit should not be upset more than necessary. Long delay
should be avoided.
PHASES OF EXAMINATION

PRE-TEST INTERVIEW
ACTUAL interrogation and
recording through the instrument
POST-TEST INTERVIEW
INITIAL INTERVIEW WITH
THE INVESTIGATOR
Test question are formulated by the polygraph
examiner based from information obtained from
the investigator. General facts, theories and
suspicions are not enough basis for a polygraph
test. Question formulation depends greatly upon
detailed and accurate information regarding all
the available facts.
THE INVESTIGATOR ON CASE SHOULD
PERSONALLY INFORM THE EXAMINER OF SUCH
FACTS AS:

• Unpublicized facts of the offense known only to the victim,

the investigator and the offender.
• Specific articles or exact amounts of money stolen.
• Exact time and place the offense occurred.
• Peculiar aspects of the offense or any strange or obscene
acts committed at the scene.
• Known facts about a suspects action or movements immediately preceding
of after the incidents.
• Facts indicating a connection between suspects, victims and witnesses,
especially when they deny any connection.
• Exact type of firearm, weapon or tool used.
• Results of laboratory test if any.
• Background information particularly previous police records or verifies
facts which subjects denies.
 PRE-TEST INTERVIEW
• Before the actual testing is done, the examiner must first make an informal

interview of the subject which may last from 20 to 30 minutes .

• To condition the subject psychologically for the test.
• The subject is appraised of his constitutional rights.
PURPOSE OF THE PRE-TEST
INTERVIEW
• To determine whether the subject has any medical or
psychiatric condition or has used drugs that will prevent the
testing.
• To explain to the subject the purpose of the examination.
• To develop the test questions, particularly those of the types
to be asked.
• To relieve the truthful subject of any
apprehension as well as to satisfy the
deceptive subject as to the efficiency
of the technique.
• To know any anti-social activity or
criminal record of the subject.
QUESTION FORMULATION

Questions formulated are short, simple and

direct answerable by either ‘Yes” or “No”
only, phrased in the language easily
understood by the subjects.
The questions must be clear and must have
reference to only one element of an offense
of fact.
TYPES OF QUESTION

•IRRELEVANT
•RELEVANT
•CONTROL
IRRELEVANT QUESTIONS

• These are questions which have no bearing to the case

under investigation.
• The question may refer to the subject’s age, educational
attainment, marital status, citizenship, occupation, etc.
• The examiner asks these types of questions to ascertain the
subject’s normal pattern of response by eliminating the
feeling of apprehension.
RELEVANT QUESTIONS

These are questions pertaining to the issue under

investigation. They must be unambiguous,
unequivocal and understandable to the subject.
They must be related to one issue or one criminal
act.
It is equally important to limit the number of
relevant questions to avoid discomfort to the
subject.
CONTROL QUESTIONS

These are questions which are

unrelated to the matter under
investigation but are of similar
nature although less serious as
compared to those relevant
questions under investigation.
TEST CONSTRUCTION
APPLIED ARE OF TWO MAIN
TYPES.
• General Peak Tension Test
• Peak of Tension Test
GENERAL PEAK TENSION TEST

 The general question test consist of a series

of relevant and irrelevant questioned asked in
a planned order.
 Example:
1. Have you ever been called by the name
Fred? (Irrelevant)
2. Is today Friday? (Irrelevant)
• Do you have anything to do with the robbery at Goodwill Grocery last
night? (relevant)
• Did you rob the Goodwill Grocery last night? (relevant)
• Are you over twenty years of age? (irrelevant)
• Do you know is any of the fingerprints found at goodwill Grocery is yours?
(relevant)
• Do you drink water? (Irrelevant)
• Do you know of anyone involved in the robbery of Goodwill Grocery last
night? (Relevant)
PEAK OF TENSION TEST

• This valid test is only made when there is no widespread

publicity about the crime.
• Example:
1. Do you know whether the stolen watch from Fred is
Boluva?
2. It is an Elgin?
3. Is it a Colorado?
4. Is it a Rolex?
POST-TEST INTERROGATION

• To clarify the findings

• To learn if there are any other reasons for the subject’s
responding to a relevant question, other than the knowledge
of the crime.
• To obtain additional information and an admission for law
enforcement purposes, if he results suggest deception.
THE DIRECTED LIE TEST (DLT)

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.
OBJECTIVES

Ascertain if a person is telling the

truth by verifying statement and/or
comparing conflicting statements.
Obtain additional investigative leads
to the facts of an offense.
Identify other persons involved.
Obtain valuable information
from reluctant witnesses.
Most important is the
elimination of innocent suspects.
LIMITATIONS

• It is an invaluable investigation aid, but never a substitute

for investigation.
• It is a lie detector, it is not a scientific diagnostic instrument.
• It does not determine facts, it records responses to that
which the subject knows to be true.
• It is only as accurate as the examiner is competent.
OTHER LIE DETECTION
TECHNIQUES
LATEST RESEARCH ON LIE
DETECTION
• 1. Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) Technique
• The Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) is a lie detection technique that encourages
interviewees to discuss their whereabouts during the period of interest without
revealing the evidence the interviewer possesses.
• Liars are more likely to avoid or escape positioning themselves near the scene of the
crime, which results in more contradictions between their statement and the evidence.
• In a study by Hartwig et al. (2015), SUE was used to interview mock suspects about
their whereabouts during a crime.
• The results showed that liars were more likely to avoid or escape positioning
themselves near the scene of the crime than truth tellers. This led to more
contradictions between liars' statements and the evidence.
LIE DETECTION TECHNIQUES

• 2. Verifiability Approach (VA)

• The Verifiability Approach (VA) to lie detection is based on the premise that truth tellers are more
likely to report verifiable details than lie tellers.
• This is because truth tellers have nothing to hide, and they are confident that their stories can be
corroborated.
• Lie tellers, on the other hand, are more likely to avoid providing verifiable details, because they are
afraid that the investigator will be able to disprove their stories.
• Research has supported the VA to lie detection.

• For example, a study by Palena et al. (2021) found that truth tellers provided more verifiable details than lie
tellers, particularly when the investigator asked them to include such details in their statements.

• The VA is a useful tool for lie detection, but it is important to note that it is not perfect. Lie tellers can be
very skilled at deception, and they may be able to come up with plausible stories that include verifiable
details. However, the VA can help to increase the accuracy of lie detection, especially when used in
conjunction with other techniques.
LIE DETECTION TECHNIQUES
• 3. Cognitive Credibility Assessment
• The Cognitive Credibility Assessment (CCA) interview protocol is a lie detection technique that consists of
repeatedly asking interviewees to report all they can remember about an event, albeit in different formats.
• The goal is to exhaust the interviewee's free recall and to identify any inconsistencies between their different
accounts
• The Cognitive Credibility Assessment (CCA) interview protocol is a lie detection technique that consists of
repeatedly asking interviewees to report all they can remember about an event, albeit in different formats. The
goal is to exhaust the interviewee's free recall and to identify any inconsistencies between their different
accounts.
• Stages
• A. Initial Free Recall: The interviewee is asked to tell the interviewer everything they remember about the event,
without interruption.
• Free recalls: The interviewee is asked to repeat their story, but this time in a different order, such as in reverse
chronological order or from a different perspective.
• Model statement: The interviewee is asked to provide a detailed account about a topic unrelated to the event
under investigation. This is done to assess the interviewee's cognitive abilities and their ability to provide a
coherent and detailed account.
• Sketch: The interviewee is asked to draw a sketch of the scene of the event, or of something related to the event.
This can help to identify any inconsistencies in the interviewee's story or any omissions.
LIE DETECTION TECHNIQUES
• 4. Assessment Criteria Indicative of Deception (ACID)
• The ACID interview protocol begins with an initial free recall phase, where the interviewee is
asked to tell the interviewer everything they remember about the event, without interruption.
• Mnemonics are then used to enhance the interviewee's recall of the event. Mnemonics are
memory aids that can help people to remember information more effectively.
• In the ACID interview protocol, the following mnemonics are used:
• Mental reinstatement of context: The interviewee is asked to imagine that they are back at the
scene of the event and to describe what they see, hear, smell, taste, and feel.
• Recall from other perspective: The interviewee is asked to recall the event from the perspective
of a bystander or from the perspective of the perpetrator.
• Reverse order recall: The interviewee is asked to recall the event in reverse chronological order.
• A series of multiple-choice questions are asked in between the different mnemonics. These are
questions that lie tellers have not anticipated, and they therefore increase cognitive demand on lie
tellers.
• The ACID interview protocol is based on the premise that truth tellers and lie tellers differ in
their cognitive processes and memory strategies. Truth tellers are more likely to provide accurate
and detailed accounts of events, even when they are asked to recall them in different ways. Lie
tellers, on the other hand, are more likely to be inconsistent in their accounts, and they may have
difficulty providing detailed information.