Module 6

Week 10-11 Topic: Polygraph Test Question Formulation

INTRODUCTIO
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This week will discuss the various types of questions and formulate sample of
Irrelevant, Control, Relevant and Other types of questions. Know the different sequence
of questions provided by various test formats/techniques and formulate 2 sets of
questions using different format/techniques.

PRE-COMPETENCY
CHECKLIST
WORD SEARCH
A. Direction: Answer the following question within 15 mins: Analyze carefully the
given statements before answering by writing:

A- If it’s pertains to Relevant Question

B- If it’s pertains to Irrelevant Question or Neutral
C- If it’s pertain to Symptomatic Question

1. Were you one of those who robbed the laptop of Ms. Lucil last Saturday night?
2. Is today Wednesday?
3. Is there something else you are afraid I will ask you a question about, even
though I told I would not?
4. Have you been involved in any robbery in your entire life?
5. Have you ever been called by the name Jose?
6. Right now, are you wearing black shirt?
7. Do you know that the laptop of Ms. Lucil is stolen?
8. Are you completely convinced that I will not ask you an unreviewed question in
this chart?
9. Where you the one who shot Joseph Dele Roca?
10. Have you stolen the Seiko watch of Maria?

LEARNING RESOURCES

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  Power-point Presentation (CBSUA VLP)
 Video Recording (VLP)

EXPLORE (TASK/ ACTIVITIES)

Discussion
Rules to be followed in the formulation of test questions:

1. Questions must be simple and direct.

2. They must not involve legal terminology such as rape, murder, etc.
3. They must be answerable by yes or no.
4. Must be short as possible.
5. Their meaning must be clear and unmistakable phrased in language that the
subject can easily understand.
6. They must not be in the form of accusation.
7. Questions must never contain an inference which presupposes knowledge on the
part of the subject.
8. All questions must refer to one offense only.
9. All questions must refer to only one element of an offense.
10. They must not contain inferences to one’s religion, races or belief.
The Two (2) General Types of Questions:

1. General Question Test (GQT) – the most commonly applied.

2. Peak-of-Tension Test (PTT) – which is usually used as supplementary test.
The General Question Test (GQT)

This consists of a series of Relevant and Irrelevant Questions asked in a planned

order. Questions are so arranged as to make a comparison of responses to relevant
questions with a subject’s norm made during the answering of irrelevant questions.

Relevant Questions

 A relevant question is one that deals with the real issue of concern to the investigation.
These questions include asking whether the examinee perpetrated the target act or

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knows who did it and perhaps questions about particular pieces of evidence that would
incriminate the guilty person.

Classification of Relevant Question:

1. Strong Relevant or Primary Relevant Question – which has an intense
relationship to the crime or problem being considered. This intended to produce
strong emotional response in guilty subjects.
Example: Did you steal Pedro Sachez’s Laptop?
2. Secondary or Weak Relevant – are questions that concern with elements of the
crime and deals mostly on guilty knowledge and partial involvement.
Example: Between 10:00 to 12:00 a.m., of February 10, 2016, did you open the
table drawer of Mr. Pedro Sanchez?

Classification of Weak Relevant Question:

a. Sacrifice Relevant or DYAT Questions (Do you intend to answer truthfully) –

designed to absorb the response generally generated by the introduction of the first
relevant questions in the series. Reaction to these questions gives the examiner a
clue as to the subject’s attitude of willingness or voluntariness to submit to the test.
Example:
 Regarding the stolen laptop, do you intend truthfully to answer each question
about that?
 Regarding whether or not you shot Police Officer John Doe, do you intend to
answer truthfully each question about that?
b. Knowledge Questions – This type of question is propounded to the subject to
detect information about a crime that only a guilty subject would have. Such
information might include details about the site of the crime or the means of
committing it, such as the type of weapon used.
Example: Do you know for sure who stole the laptop of Mr. Pedro Sanchez?

c. Evidence-connecting Question – This has to do with inviting subject’s attention

on the probability of incriminating proof that would tend to establish his guilt, by
linking him and his predicaments to the fingerprints, footprints, tool marks, etc.

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 collected at the crime scene.
Example: Were the footprints outside the house of Pedro yours?

The Control Questions (Comparison Question) Test

 Control questions, are used for purposes of comparison. Essentially, truthful

subjects are believed by polygraph examiners to be more concerned about control
than relevant questions. The response to both and relevant questions are
compared.
 Comparison question tests (also called control question tests) compare examinees’
responses to relevant questions to their responses to other questions that are
believed to elicit physiological reactions from innocent examinees. Relevant
questions are defined as in the relevant-irrelevant test. Comparison questions ask
about general undesirable acts, sometimes of the type of an event under
investigation.
 For example, in a burglary investigation, one comparison question might be “Have
you ever stolen anything?”
 In probable-lie comparison question tests, the instructions are designed to induce
innocent people to answer in the negative, even though most are lying. Innocent
examinees are expected to experience concern about these answers that shows in
their physiological responses.
 In directed-lie tests, examinees are instructed to respond negatively and
untruthfully to comparison questions (e.g., “During the first 20 years of your life, did
you ever tell even one lie?”).
 In both forms of test, the expectation is that innocent examinees will react more
strongly to the comparison questions, and guilty examinees will react more strongly
to relevant questions.
Two Kinds of Control Questions:
1. Primary Control Question – Recalls the offense done from the time of
childhood up to three to five years before the occurrence of the present offense
being investigated.

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 Example: Before reaching the age of 25, have you ever stolen anything?

2. Secondary Control Question – More specific in nature, it is based upon

another sort of wrongdoing which will enhance the subject’s opportunity for
responsiveness. Its scope includes up to the present period of examination.
Example: Have you ever stolen anything from this locality?

The Irrelevant (Neutral) Questions

 Types of questions which have no importance to the case under investigation,

these are questions which are believed to have no, or very little emotional impact
on a subject. Thus, such questions can be used as an indicator of a particular
subject’s normal baseline level os arousal. This must precede the relevant ones.
 An irrelevant question is one designed to provoke no emotion (e.g., “Is today
Friday?). Irrelevant questions are typically placed in the first position of a question
list because the physiological responses that follow the presentation of the first
question are presumed to have no diagnostic value; they are also placed at other
points in the question sequence.
 Guilty examinees are expected to show stronger reactions to relevant than to
irrelevant questions; innocent examinees are expected to react similarly to both
question types.
 Irrelevant Questions (IR)- Questions designed emotionally neutral to examine
( aka. “Norms” and “Neutral”). Should be answered with a “YES”. Type of questions
in which both the examiner and the examinee know the true answer. It is intended
to establish the examinee’s physiological norm.
Examples:

1. Is today_____ __?

2. Is your last name_____?

3. Right now, are you wearing______ color shirt?

Sample Set of General Question Test (GQT)

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 1. Have you ever been called by the name Pedro? (Irrelevant)
2. Is today Monday? (Irrelevant)
3. Do you have anything to do with the robbery at SM (Shoemart) last night (Weak
Relevant)
4. Are you over 29 years of age? (Irrelevant)
5. Were you one of those who robbed the SM last night? (Strong Relevant)
6. Have you been involved in a robbery case this year? (Control Question-
Relevant)
7. Do you drink water? (Irrelevant)
8. Was the pair of gloves found at SM yours? (Evidence Connecting-Relevant)
9. Do you know of anyone involved in the robbery at SM last night? (Knowledge
Question-Relevant)
10. Have you ever been involved in any robbery in any robbery in your entire life?
(Secondary Control-Relevant)
11. Have you deliberately lied to any question I have asked you? (Relevant-Check
Question –Optional)

The Supplementary Test Questions

Peak-of-Tension Test

 The peak-of-tension test is similar in format to concealed information tests, but is

distinct because questions are asked in an easily recognized order (e.g., “Was the
amount of stolen money $1,000? $2,000? $3,000?” etc.).
 A guilty examinee is expected to show a pattern of responsiveness that increases
as the correct alternative approaches in the question sequence and decreases
when it has passed. Stimulation tests often have this format.
 In a known-solution peak-of-tension test, the examiner knows which alternative is
the one truly connected to the incident and evaluates the examinee’s pattern of
responses for evidence of involvement in the incident.
 It is also possible to use the peak-of-tension test in a searching mode when the
examiner does not know which answer is connected to the event but wants to use

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 the test for help in an investigation. It is assumed that the pattern of a guilty
person’s autonomic responses will reveal the correct answer.
SKY Questions

 An optional question used to verify previous charts. S- Suspect, K- know and Y-

you.
Example:

1. S- Do you suspect anyone in particular of stealing any of that money?

2. K- Do you know for sure who stole any of the money
3. Y- Did you steal any of the money
Symptomatic Question (SY)

 Use to determine whether the examinee is truly convinced that the Forensic
Psychophysiologist (FP) will not ask un-reviewed questions during the Polygraph
Verification (PV) Test and whether there is something else the examinee is afraid
the FP will ask him a question about, even though the FP promised to the
examinee he would not.
Example:

1. Are you completely convinced that I will not ask you an un-reviewed question in
this chart?
2. Is there something else you are afraid I will ask you a question about, even though
I told I would not?
Guilty Complex Test (GCT)

 This test is applied when the response to relevant and control questions are similar
in degree and in consistency and in a way that the examiner cannot determine
whether the subject is telling the truth or not.
 The subject is asked questions aside from the irrelevant, relevant and control
questions, a new series of relevant questions dealing with a real incident and that
which the subject could not have committed.
Silent Answer Test

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  This test is conducted in the same manner as when relevant and control questions
are asked but the subject is instructed to answer the questions silently, to himself,
without making any verbal response causes distortion in the tracing such as sniff or
clearing the throat.
Zone Comparison Test

Zone- a twenty to thirty-five seconds block of polygraph chart time initiated by a question
having a unique psychological focusing appeal to a predictable group of examinees.

The Five (5) Variations of Zone Comparison Test (ZCT):

1. Matte Quadri-track Zone Comparison Technique

It is a polygraph technique used exclusively for single-issue tests. It was
developed by Matte after two years of research and experimentation with fictitious
crime test used in conjunction with actual test in real-life situations. This test also
employs the Backster’s basic test structure and quantification system with some
refinements and addition of another spot consisting of a control/relevant question
pair to deal with examinees “fear of error” and the guilt examinees “hope of error”.

2. Backster Tri-Zone Comparison Technique

This technique permits the use of inside track “fear of error” control question
and the “hope of error”. When the Backster zone comparison technique does not
incorporate the fear/hope of error questions the only difference remaining in the
test structure between numbers one and two techniques is the position of
symptomatic questions which are opposite.
The color coding according to Backter are:

a. Green zone for the Control Questions.

b. Red zone for the Relevant Questions.
c. Black zone for the Symptomatic Questions.
3. The Department of Defense Polygraph Institute (DoDPI) Bi-Spot Zone
Comparison Technique.
The first zone contains the relevant questions concerning, Primary,

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 Secondary and S-K-Y (Suspension Knowledge You questions). The second zone,
is used when there is only one question or issue that must be addressed in the
examination.

4. Integrated Zone Comparison Technique

This was developed in 1987 by Nathan J. Gordon, William M. Waid and
Philip M. Cocheti. This technique has the most significant departure from the
original zone comparison technique develop by Cleve Backster.

5. The Utah Zone Comparison Technique

The structure of this technique is basically the same for single issue test as
it is for multiple issue tests. However instead of using relevant question that
embraces several facts of a crime or matter under investigation, the single issue
test uses relevant question that addressed a single issue only.

DISCUSSION BOARD

1. Explain the importance of control question to the actual polygraph examination.

2. Differentiate the relevant and irrelevant question
3. Discuss the needs of the supplementary test questions

POST-COMPETENCY CHECKLIST
10 ITEM QUIZ
Multiple choice. Read the questions carefully. Choose the correct answer from the
choices given.
1. It is a question formulated from information that do not relate to the matter under
investigation and deals with a known fact about which the subject cannot lie.
a. Relevant question
b. Irrelevant question
c. SKY question
d. DYAT question
2. When the purpose of the question is to stablish and re-establish subject’s normal
tracing plus response capability subject’s normal tracing plus response capability
(excitement level) with verbal stimuli, then the type of question use should be:
a . Relevant question

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 b. Irrelevant question
c. SKY question
d. DYAT question
3. What type of question are those formulated from information pertaining to the
object of the examination and pointed at determining the subject’s knowledge or
truthfulness or deception regarding the issue in question?
a. Relevant question
b. Irrelevant question
c. SKY question
d. DYAT question
4. What is the purpose of asking irrelevant questions in a polygraph examination
process?
a. To make the subject relax
b. To show that the examination process is not intimidating
c. To obtain standard tracing as basis for a norm
d. To test the machine
5. If the purpose of the question is to detect changes from the subject’s norm tracing
plus excite level plus stimulus, the type of question use should be:
a. Relevant question
b. Irrelevant question
c. SKY question
d. DYAT question
6. If the purpose of the question is to resolve objectivity of the polygraph examination
via chart probe and further testing on potential reaction that result, the type of
question used is reaction that result is:
a. Relevant question
b. Irrelevant question
c. SKY question
d. DYAT question
7. A question that has an intense and specific relationship to the offense or problem
being considered is a __
a. Strong or Primary Relevant question
b. Irrelevant question
c. Secondary Relevant question
d. DYAT or Sacrifice question
8. A question that deals with secondary element of the crime and probe mostly on
guilty knowledge and partial involvement is considered a ___.
a. Strong or Primary Relevant question
b. Irrelevant question
c. Secondary Relevant question

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 d. DYAT or Sacrifice question
9. Do you intend to answer the questions truthfully?
What type of question is this?
a. Strong or Primary Relevant question
b. Irrelevant question
c. Secondary Relevant question
d. Sacrifice question
10. In a case of rape, the question “did you ever commit a minor traffic violation?” is a
_____
a. Primary relevant question
b. Irrelevant question
c. Control question
d. Significant question

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