WEEK 2.

2
PRELIMINARY PERIOD 

PSYCHOLOGY OF
POLYGRAPH EXAMINATION
-FORENSIC 5-
 I. PSYCHOLOGY OF THE LYING PERSON

The polygraph technique uses the principle that the body

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 certainty. Base on my understanding,
many observable signs have been linked to lying, but they
are not always shown by everyone. The absence of these
signals does not mean a person is honest, but their
presence, especially when there are multiple signs, is very
suggestive of potential deceit. When lying, the face often
shows messages and that is what the liar wants to show
and what the liar wants to conceal. Some person who is
lying shows Involuntary facial expression revealing true
emotion.
Telling a lie is usually an emotional experience causes the mind of the examinee, which produces an emotion of fear or
anxiety, manifested by fluctuations in pulse rate, blood pressure, breathing and perspiration. Knowing that dishonesty
risks irrevocable damage to one’s reputation, lying is an inherently stressful activity. When we engage in deceit, our
respiratory and heart rates increase, we start to sweat, our mouth goes dry, and our voice can shake. Some of these
physiological effects form the basis of the polygraph examination.

Here, I outlined and shortened form the related topics that I understood connected to our system:

The Central Nervous System (CNS) – is composed of the brain and the spinal cord. All other nerve ways are within the
peripheral nervous system which separates into two: The Somatic Nervous System and the Autonomic Nervous System.
1. Somatic Nervous System – is involved with voluntary comparative over skeletal muscles.
2. Autonomic Nervous System – involved those involuntary physiological functions of the body and has considerable
psychological impact as well.

TWO DIVISIONS OF AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM

1. Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) – the housekeeping or braking system. It is responsible for conserving energy
and making sure necessary bodily functions.
-restrains sympathetic arousal and attempt to maintain homeostatic(homeostasis)normal.

2. Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) – is our emergency, or action system.

-a system which causes the sudden and dramatic change.
 II. THEORY OF POLYGRAPH EXAMINATION

In my own understanding, when the subject of the examination fears being

discovered, this fear results in a detectable physiological response when the
subject acts deceitfully. Thus, in this theory, the polygraph instrument is
measuring the fear of detection rather than deception per se. And the
examiner infers deception when the physiological response to questions about
the crime or unauthorized activity is greater than the response to other
questions. However, the examinee’s intelligence level, state of psychological
health, emotional stability, and belief in the “machine" are among the several
other factors that may, at least theoretically, affect physiological responses.

A stronger theoretical base is needed for the entire range of polygraph

applications. Basic polygraph research should consider the latest research
from the fields of psychology, physiology, psychiatry, neuroscience, and
medicine; comparison among question techniques; and measures of
physiological response.
 III. TRIPOD FOUNDATION OF POLYGRAPHY

1. Psychological Leg Premise – states that specific nervous

system component whose stimulation can thus be
diagnosed are so stimulated by the involuntary and
emotional processes of the individual who is continuously
attempting concealment of deception especially if that
individual has something at stake and the prevailing
circumstances lead him to believe that exposure to
deception is quite possible although undesirable.

2. Physiological Leg Premise – among the physiological changes

that may be recorded and identified are those that
automatically occur only following the stimulation of specific
nervous system component and from which stimulation of
those specific nervous system components can be reliably
diagnosed.

3. Mechanical Leg Premise – polygraph is capable of making

graphic record containing reliable information regarding
physiological responses of the subject.
IV. GENERAL PURPOSES OF USING POLYGRAPH
1. Security Risk- Leakage of Information, Intelligence and Counter-
Intelligence. In my own opinion, the use of polygraph testing for
preemployment screening is even more complicated because it
involves inferences about future behavior on the basis of
information about past behaviors that may be quite different, for
example of types of questions is: does past use of illegal drugs, or
lying about such use on a polygraph test, predict future spying?

2. Criminal Law Infraction- They are used in investigations of

specific events, for instance, in criminal cases. Although there are
many restrictions on the use of polygraph results in courts, they are
often used to help direct and focus criminal investigations, for
example a man who is convicted by Murder, Robbery, Theft, Rape
etc.
3. Personnel Screening - They are used for screening current
employees, especially in security-sensitive occupations. For
example, the U.S. Department of Energy polygraph program,
established in 1999, mandated polygraph examinations for about
1,300 employees in sensitive positions; a year later, the program
was expanded to cover several thousand additional employees.

4. Misconduct - unacceptable or improper behavior, especially by

an employee or professional person. Examples of police
misconduct include police brutality, dishonesty, fraud, coercion,
torture to force confessions, abuse of authority, and sexual assault,
etc.

5. Medical Measurements - A polygraph, popularly referred to as a

lie detector test, is a device or procedure that measures and records
several physiological indicators such as blood pressure, pulse,
respiration, and skin conductivity while a person is asked and
answers a series of questions.
 V. IMPORTANCE OF POLYGRAPH TO A LAW ENFORCER

Polygraph tests are useful not only to identify the criminals who might try to deceive the legal- systems, but it will
also be helpful for providing justice to several innocent victims who are convicted due to the wrong verdict by the
court.

1. Most effective way of establishing the truth - A polygraph system doesn't spit out a simple determination of
"truth" or "lie." Instead, it measures a number of physiological responses. The examiner looks for differences
depending on what the subject is asked about and all of this so helpful in an investigation

2. Guilt is separated from truth (guilty separated from innocent) – In my own explanation, there are many ways to
know if a person is lying, with the help of the polygraph, signs such as physical and psychological changes can be
seen here. In an investigation, it will be known who is lying and because of this it will be determined who is telling
the truth to the liar.

3. If scientifically determined (lie) the investigator can evaluate the evidence. For me, The underlying assumption is
that deception will, due to the stress induced by lying, lead to a measurable response in the form of increased
perspiration, heart rate and so on.
4. Saves time, efforts and money – the investigation time in a case can be really shortened with the help of
the polygraph machine because of the controlled questions that are asked, it is only here that it can be
determined if a person is lying.

5. Measures the efficiency and effectiveness of the law enforcer. In supporting the work of law
enforcement and other agencies in detecting deception. Polygraphs are utilized as one of the sources of
information for security screening and as a supporting tool for criminal investigation. It is therefore
important to understand if the resources dedicated to polygraph testing are justified by the results, and
consider if the use of polygraphs is supported by evidence-based practice.

-END OF PRESENTATION-