Foundational Terminology PP#3 08/16/23

Question 1

Salience

Answer 1

The meaningfulness of the questions toward the examinee.

Do they mean anything to them or are they just ignoring them?

Question 2

Cognitive Dissonance

Answer 2

Inconsistent thoughts, beliefs or attitudes as related to behavioral decisions.
In other words, someone who does not want to do something but they have to.
“I need to take a polygraph to prove my innocence even thought I am guilty.”

Question 3

Psychological Set

Answer 3

Most threatening and/or meaningful questions to the examinee.

Also known as a Target

Question 4

Response Onset Window

Answer 4

ROW – The time from stimulus onset (start of question) through the examinee’s answer to a given time period after said answer.
The reaction must begin within the ROW or it can not be considered for analysis.
The analysis of the reaction may continue outside the ROW if the reaction starts within the ROW.

Question 5

Anti-Climax Dampening Concept

Answer 5

The theory that the liars will focus on the relevant questions causing less of a response or no response to the comparison questions.
The innocent will focus on the comparison questions causing less or a response or no response to the relevant questions.

Question 6

Super Outside Dampening Concept

Answer 6

Subject is responding to an outside issue which may cause reactions to the relevant questions or lesson reactions to other questions.

Symptomatic Questions are used to identify this in some techniques.

Question 7

Necessary Ingredients for Psychological Set, Target or Salience

Answer 7

Fear of Detection

Fear of Exposure

Fear of Consequence or Punishment

Question 8

Orienting Response (OR)

Answer 8

Heightened sensitivity to a specific stimuli characterized by increased information processing, narrowed attentional concentration and physiological excitation.

This is why we never start an exam with a relevant question.

Question 9

Ground Truth

Answer 9

Ground Truth – A polygraph examination of a subject which has been evaluated as being deceptive has been confirmed with a confession, DNA, or some other indisputable evidence implicating that subject.

Question 10

Homeostasis

Answer 10

Homeostasis – Refers to a “tonic” or stable tracing.

In science, the term is used to describe the maintenance of the internal viability of organisms.

Question 11

False Results

Answer 11

False Negative – The decision is given that a deceptive examinee is being truthful. (NDI)

False Positive – The decision is given that a truthful examinee is being deceptive (DI).

Question 12

Cardiograph

Answer 12

Used to record pulse rate
average pulse rate for adults is 60-100 bpm

Question 13

Sphygmomanometer

Answer 13

Used to record relative blood pressure

Question 14

Galvanograph

Answer 14

Records changes in Galvanic Skin Response or, in modern terminology, Electrodermal Response (EDR).

Question 15

Wheatstone Bridge

Answer 15

GSR – Resistance to electricity
GSC – Conductance of electricity
GSP – Potential (Body)

Question 16

Electrodermal Activity (EDA)

Answer 16

The exosomatic and endosomatic changes in the electrical properties of the skin.

EDA will drop when a person is threatened.

Considered to be the most accurate of the three primary channels.

Question 17

Pneumograph

Answer 17

Device used to record respiration.
Average breath cycle rate for adults is 13-18 bpm

Two rubber tube devices:
Thoracic – Upper
Abdominal – Lower

Question 18

Kymograph

Answer 18

Device which pulled paper under the pens on an analog instrument.

Not used in computerized polygraph instruments.

Question 19

Plethysmograph

Answer 19

Measured blood volume in capillaries.

Used on fingers of examinee.

Very accurate when used with cardiosphygmograph.

Not a primary channel.

Question 20

Countermeasure Detection

Answer 20

Movement Sensor

Motion Sensor

Activity Monitors

Question 21

Primary Relevant Question

Answer 21

The question addressing the main issue at hand in the examination.

Answered with No (preferred) or Yes

“Did you shoot that man?”

Question 22

Secondary Relevant Question

Answer 22

The question(s) addressing additional facets of the topic for the primary relevant question.

Guilty Knowledge
Evidence Connecting
Help, Plan, Participate

Question 23

Comparison Question

Answer 23

Questions utilized for test data analysis which are compared against the relevant questions.
Questions the examinee will lie to or have doubts about their honesty on the topic of the question.
Probable Lie Comparison Question
Directed Lie Comparison Question

Question 24

Sacrifice Relevant Question

Answer 24

Broad relevant question which is not evaluated during TDA used to introduce the topic of the examination to the examinee.
Used to “bleed off” some general nervous tension which can help the truthful examinee.
Introduced very early in the test question sequence.

Question 25

Irrelevant Question

Answer 25

Questions used to achieve homeostasis or a “tonic” level for the examinee’s tracings.

Little to no emotion in the topic
“Are you now sitting down?”

Not evaluated during TDA

Question 26

Symptomatic Question

Answer 26

Questions which are used to possibly identify an examinee’s unrelated concern or outside issue which could possibly affect the reactions to the relevant and/or comparison questions.

Not evaluated during TDA

Question 27

Single Issue Testing

Answer 27

same issue- all primary questions asked differently

Question 28

Multi Facet Testing

Answer 28

Primary and secondary relevant questions

Question 29

Multi Issue Testing

Answer 29

Many questions to ask-
-PCSOT
-Pre-Employment