Chapter 4: Deception Flashcards
What is a Polygraph?
A device for recording an individual autonomic system responses
They are attached to the upper chest & abdomen to measure breathing
The amount of sweat on the skin is measured by attaching electrodes to the fingertips
Sweat changes the conductance of the skin (AKA Skin Conductance)
Heart rate is measured by a partially inflated blood pressure cuff attached to the arm
Where is Polygraph training in Canada Provided?
Canadian Police College
What are Polygraph Disclosure Tests?
Polygraph tests that are used to uncover information about an offenders past behaviour
What are the 2 types of Polygraph Tests?
- The Comparison Question Test
- The Concealed Information Test
What is the Comparison Question Test?
A type of polygraph test that includes neutral questions that are unrelated to the crime, relevant questions concerning the crime being investigated, and comparison questions concerning the person’s honesty and past history prior to the event being investigated
Most common test
What is the Concealed Information Test?
A type of polygraph test designed to determine if the person knows details about a crime
What does the Concealed Information Test Test?
It does not test deception, it seeks to determine whether the suspect knows the details about the crime that only the person who commited the crime would know
What is Ground Truth?
As applied to polygraph research, the knowledge of whether the person is actually guilty or innocent
What are Countermeasures?
As applied to polygraph research, techniques used to try to conceal guilt
Physical Countermeasures: e.g. Biting tongue, pressing toes on floor
Mental Countermeasures: e.g. Counting backwards by 7 from 100
What are Event-Related Brain Potentials (ERPs)?
Brain activity measured by placing electrodes on the scalp and recording electrical patterns related to presentation of stimulus
What are Microexpressions?
Brief facial expressions that reflect the emotion a person is feeling
What is polices widespread beliefs of two cues that indicate liars?
Eye gaze and fidgeting
What is Truth Bias?
The tendency of people to judge more messages as truthful that deceptive
Disorders Vary on What 2 Dimensions?
- Whether a person intentionally or consciously produces the symptoms
- Whether the motivation is internal or external
What is Conversion Disorder?
A disorder in which neurologic symptoms are not intentionally produced and there are no external incentives
What is Factitious Disorder?
A disorder in which the person’s physical & psychological symptoms are intentionally produced and there are no external incentives
e.g. Falsification of physical or psychological signs or symptoms
What is Munchausen by Proxy?
A rare factitious disorder in which a person intentionally produces an illness in their child (AKA factitious disorder imposed on a child)
e.g. Parent is purposefully overdosing a child usually to get attention or sympathy from others
What is Malingering?
Intentionally faking psychological symptoms for some type of external gain
What are the 2 Key Components of Malingering?
- Psychological or physical symptoms are clearly under voluntary control
- There are no external motivations for the production of symptoms
What is the Opposite of Malingering?
Defensiveness
What is Defensiveness?
Conscious denial or extreme minimization of physical or psychological symptoms
What are the Explanatory Models of Malingering?
- Pathogenic Model
- Criminological Model
- Adaptational Model
What is Pathogenic Model?
Assumes that people are motivated to malinger because of an underlying mental disorder
What is Criminological Model?
Focuses on “badness”, a bad person (Antisocial Personality Disorder) in bad circumstances (Legal Difficulties) who is performing badly (Uncooperating)
