GRADUATE SCHOOL

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE

2nd Trimester 2017-2018

Objectives:
 To understand the relationship of lie detection and psychophysiology
 To know and evaluate the basis of polygraph examination
 To be upgraded with the recent practices in polygraph examination

LIE DETECTION AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY

“If someone tells you he always tells the truth; you know you have a liar in your hand.”
(Croucho Marx)
Today, lying became a lucrative business and more and more people are lured into it. By force of
necessity due to nature of the profession, we have to be knowledgeable about lies, truth and deception.

Various methods have been developed using science and technology to establish if a person is
telling the truth. Such methods applied knowledge in various sciences such as psychology, psychiatry,
physiology and pharmacology. The application of modern technology such as electronics and computer
science is gaining its popularity in the field of lie and crime detection.

Although lie detections are scientifically based, these are not fully recognized by the courts as
means of producing evidence to establish the truth. In fact, most information developed using scientific lie
detection methods are not admissible as direct or primary court evidence despite their expediency in
crime detection and investigation. This is something that is ironic in the Philippine setting.

Lie detection is also called Deception and scientific Truth Verification. As scientific lie detection is now
included as one of the area of forensic science. Forensic lie detection is better known as Forensic
psychophysiology. The most popular field of forensic psychophysiology is the polygraph method
according to Dr. William J. Yankee of the Department of Defense Polygraph Institute (DoDPI). Polygraph
examination is one of the most complex psychophysiological examinations ever developed. (Matte 1996)

In advance countries, the following are preferred descriptions of lie detection through polygraph
examination.
1. PVE (Psychophysiological Veracity Examination)
2. PDD (Psychophysiological Detection Deception)
3. PCA (Psychophysiological Credibility Assessment)

Scientific lie detection methods primarily and extensively utilize the combined knowledge of
psychology and physiology. This led the term psychophysiology.

The field of PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY is focused on studying the functions of human nervous

system and the bodily reactions of the body of a person as influence by his mental responses to specific
stimulus. In simpler words, it is a field of science dealing with the relationship between psychology and
physiology.

Why psychophysiology is closely associated with lie detection?

Oftentimes, nervousness is the psychological reactions used as symptom of deception. However,

nervousness per se cannot be measured. What we can actually measure are bodily reactions such as
sudden change in heartbeat and breathing pattern. Emotions are indispensable parts of the body’s
adjustive machinery. Strong emotions especially fear, usually hamper sound thinking in at least three
ways.
1. Whenever we interpret a situation as critical we become so concerned with the threat that we are
unable to concentrate on the problem.
2. The redistribution of the blood supply occurring with strong fear tends to decrease the supple to
the higher brain centers and to leave them undernourished so that they ceased to function
effectively.
3. Emotions tend to reduce the control of behavior by thought.

The system that prepares the body’s defenses to meet these emergencies is none other than the
sympathetic subdivision of the autonomic nervous system (a motor system).

In polygraph situation, it is fear, fear of detection fear of consequences if the individual is detected
that causes the sympathetic system to activate in order to prepare the body to meet the emergency.
Therefore, a sense of guilt is not an essential element to activate the sympathetic system.
 Anatomy and Physiology of Human Nervous System

The Nervous System

It is a complex combination of cells whose primary function is to allow an organism to gain
information about what is going on inside and outside the body and to respond appropriately.

3 basic functions of the nervous system

1. Receiving information, or input (a small object)
2. Integrating or processing that information (is it a candy?)
3. Guiding actions, or output (wave it away with smile)

The human nervous system is composed of the CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS) and
PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (PNS). The central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal
cord.
1. The CNS processes and coordinates all incoming sensory information and outgoing motor
commands.
2. The CNS is the seat of complex brain functions such as memory, intelligence, learning and
emotion.

The Peripheral nervous system includes all neural tissue outside the central nervous system. It is
responsible for providing sensory (afferent) information to the CNS and carrying motor) efferent)
commands out of the body tissues. The PNS has two subdivisions: The Somatic Nervous system and the
Autonomic Nervous System. Their respective functions are as follows:
1. Somatic Nervous System-controls voluntary motor commands such as moving muscles to walk
or talk
2. Autonomic Nervous System-controls involuntary motor commands such as digestion and
heartbeat.

The autonomic nervous system which acts as a self-regulating response of the body, is further
divided into two branches:
a. Sympathetic nervous system-also called the flight or fight mechanism, increases alertness
stimulates the tissue and prepares the body for quick response to unusual situations.
b. Parasympathetic nervous system-also called the rest and repose system, conserves energy
and controls sedentary activities such as digestion

The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system acts opposite with each other. When a person
is under the influence of physical stimulus (exertion) or emotional provocation (such as excitement, fear
and anger), the sympathetic branch dominates and over-rides the parasympathetic component. In effect
there will be changes in the-
1. Pulse(heartbeat)
2. Blood pressure
3. Breathing
4. Response-time
5. Voice
6. Other physiological response

When the conditions of stress are no longer present, the parasympathetic branch is dominant when
things are normal and the person is calm, contented and relaxed.

How Lie Detectors Work

The polygraph instrument has undergone a dramatic change in the last decade. For many years,
polygraphs were those instruments that you see in the movies with little needles scribbling lines on a
single strip of scrolling paper. These are called analog polygraphs. Today, most polygraph tests are
administered with digital equipment. The scrolling paper has been replaced with sophisticated algorithms
and computer monitors.

The basic components of a lie detector system

 Respiratory rate - Two pneumographs, rubber tubes filled with air, are placed around the test
subject's chest and abdomen. When the chest or abdominal muscles expand, the air inside the
tubes is displaced. In an analog polygraph, the displaced air acts on a bellows, an accordion-like
device that contracts when the tubes expand. This bellows is attached to a mechanical arm,
which is connected to an ink-filled pen that makes marks on the scrolling paper when the subject
takes a breath. A digital polygraph also uses the pneumographs, but employs transducers to
convert the energy of the displaced air into electronic signals.
 Blood pressure/heart rate - A blood-pressure cuff is placed around the subject's upper arm.
Tubing runs from the cuff to the polygraph. As blood pumps through the arm it makes sound; the
 changes in pressure caused by the sound displace the air in the tubes, which are connected to a
bellows, which moves the pen. Again, in digital polygraphs, these signals are converted into
electrical signals by transducers.
 Galvanic skin resistance (GSR) - This is also called electro-dermal activity, and is basically a
measure of the sweat on your fingertips. The finger tips are one of the most porous areas on the
body and so are good places to look for sweat. The idea is that we sweat more when we are
placed under stress. Fingerplates, called galvanometers, are attached to two of the subject's
fingers. These plates measure the skin's ability to conduct electricity. When the skin is hydrated
(as with sweat), it conducts electricity much more easily than when it is dry.

Despite claims of 'lie detector' examiners, there is no machine that can detect lies," reads a statement
from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). "The 'lie detector' does not measure truth-telling; it
measures changes in blood pressure, breath rate and perspiration rate, but those physiological changes
can be triggered by a wide range of emotions." "If the (forensic psychophysiologists) is properly trained
and has the experience, he can penetrate that. Through the specific procedure that the FP will employ,
anxiety will not penetrate into it."

Stages of Examination

1. Pretest - This consists of an interview between the examiner and examinee, where the two
individuals get to learn about each other. This may last about one hour. At this point, the examiner
gets the examinee's side of the story concerning the events under investigation. While the subject
is sitting there answering questions, the examiner also profiles the examinee. The examiner wants
to see how the subject responds to questions and processes information.
2. In-test - The actual exam is given. The examiner asks 10 or 11 questions, only three of four of
which are relevant to the issue or crime being investigated. The other questions are control
questions. A control question is a very general question, such as "Have you ever stolen anything
in your life?" -- a type of question that is so broad that almost no one can honestly respond with a
"no." If the person answers "no," the examiner can get an idea of the reaction that the examinee
demonstrates when being deceptive.
3. Post-test - The examiner analyses the data of physiological responses and makes a
determination regarding whether the person has been deceptive. If there are significant
fluctuations that show up in the results, this may signal that the subject has been deceptive,
especially if the person displayed similar responses to a question that was asked repeatedly.

There are times when a polygraph examiner misinterprets a person's reaction to a particular question.
The human factor of a polygraph exam and the subjective nature of the test are two reasons why
polygraph exam results are seldom admissible in court. Here are the two ways that a response can be
misinterpreted:
 False positive - The response of a truthful person is determined to be deceptive.
 False negative - The response of a deceptive person is determined to be truthful.

References
Kevin Bonsor. How lie detectors work. Retrieved on March 21, 2018. Retrieved from
https://people.howstuffworks.com/lie-detector1.htm

Bryan Robinson. Polygraphs accurate but not foolproof. Retrieved on march 21, 2018. Retrieved from
http://abcnews.go.com/us/story?id=92847&page=1