EFFECTIVENESS OF TECHNIQUES AND PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURES IN THE DETECTION OF DECEPTION

• NCJ Number: 36972
• Author(s): J A PODELSNY
• Date Published: 1976
• Length: 59 pages
• Grant Number(s): 75-NI-99-0001
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: University of Utah
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

CONTROL-QUESTION (CQ) AND GUILTY-KNOWLEDGE (GK) TECHNIQUES FOR THE DETECTION OF DECEPTION WERE STUDIED IN A MOCK THEFT CONTEXT.

Abstract

SUBJECTS FROM THE LOCAL COMMUNITY RECEIVED $5 FOR PARTICIPATION, AND BOTH GUILTY AND INNOCENT SUBJECTS WERE MOTIVATED WITH A $10 BONUS FOR A TRUTHFUL OUTCOME ON THE POLYGRAPH EXAM. THEY WERE INSTRUCTED TO DENY THE THEFT WHEN THEY WERE EXAMINED BY EXPERMENTERS WHO WERE BLIND WITH RESPECT TO THEIR GUILT OR INNOCENCE. EIGHT PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANNELS WERE RECORDED INCLUDING A CARDIO ACTIVITY MONITOR (CAM) AND A LOW PRESSURE BLOOD PRESSURE CUFF (CARDIO). NUMERICAL FIELD EVALUATIONS OF CQ TESTS PRODUCED 80% CORRECT, 10% ERRORS AND 10% INCONCLUSIVES. EXCLUDING INCONCLUSIVES, CQ DECISIONS WERE 89% CORRECT. CONTROL QUESTIONS WERE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN GUILT-COMPLEX QUESTIONS, PARATICULARLY IN IDENTIFYING INNOCENT SUBJECTS. THERE WAS SOME EVIDENCE THAT BACKSTER CONTROL QUESTIONS WERE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN REID CONTROL QUESTIONS. NUMERICAL EVALUATIONS OF GK TESTS WERE 90% CORRECT WITH NO INCONCLUSIVES. THUS, THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE IN ACCURACY OF DECISIONS USING CQ AND GK TECHNIQUES. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)