UNIT #4: Deception Flashcards
Comparison Question Test
Type of polygraph test that includes irrelevant 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 the event being investigated (aka control question test)
Concealed information test
Type of polygraph test designed to determine if the person knows details about a crime (formally known as guilty knowledge test)
Countermeasures
As applied to polygraph research, techniques used to try to conceal guilt
Defensiveness
Conscious denial or extreme minimization of physical or psychological symptoms
Event-related brain potentials
Brain activity measured by placing electrodes on the scalp and electrical patterns related to presentation of a stimulus
Factitious disorder
A disorder in which the person’s physical and psychological symptoms are intentionally produced and are adopted for no external rewards
Ground truth
As applied to polygraph research, the knowledge of whether the person is actually guilty or innocent
Known-groups design
As applied to malingering research, involves comparing genuine patients and malingers attempting to fake the disorder the patients have
Malingering
Intentionally faking psychological or physical symptoms for some type of external game
Muchausen syndrome by proxy
A rare Fictitious disorder in which a person intentionally produces an illness in his or her child
Polygraph
A device for recording an individual’s autonomic nervous system responses
Polygraph disclosure tests
Polygraph tests that are used to uncover information about an offender’s past behaviour
Simulation design
As applied to malingering research people are told to pretend to have specific symptoms or a disorder
Truth-bias
The tendency of people to judge more messages as truthful then deceptive
Describe how a polygraph works.
x4
(1) A device for recording an individual’s Autonomic nervous system responses. Polygraph is used to measure person’s physiological responses
to questions asked by examiner
(2) Measurement devices are attached
to the upper chest and abdomen to
measure breathing.
(3) Amount of sweat on skin is measured by attaching electrodes to fingertips.
(4) Heart rate is measured by a partially inflated blood pressure cuff attached to arm.
Describe the different applications of the polygraph
x4
(1) Used to help in criminal investigations As a means to resolve the case. If suspect fails person may be pressured to confess.
(2) Victims of crimes may be asked to take test
to help verify whether a crime has occurred.
(3) Used to assess and monitor sexual offenders on probation.
(4) Insurance companies May use to help verify
The claims of the insured.
Characteristics of malingered psychosis
x6
- Often willing to discuss their symptoms when asked, where as actual patients with schizophrenia are often reluctant to discuss their symptoms.
- Report rare or atypical symptoms.
- Tend to overreact
- Accuse clinicians of not believing them
- In an interview may be evasive when asked to provide details.
- Behave in an intimidating manner
Methods to detect malingered
psychosis
- Self-report questionnaire
2. Interview-based method
Explanatory models of malingering
x3
(1) Pathogenic
(2) Criminological
(3) Adaptational
Pathogenic model of malingering
x3
- People motivated because of an underlying mental disorder.
- Attempt to gain control over his Pathology by creating bogus symptoms.
- Over time patients experience more severe mental disorders and true symptoms emerge.
Criminological model of malingering
x2
- Focuses on badness
2. A bad person, in bad circumstances, who is performing badly.
Adaptational model of malingering
x3
1. Malingering is likely to occur when: (A) No other viable alternatives are perceived (B) There is a perceived adversarial context (C) Personal stakes are very high
Two different polygraph tests
1) Comparison Question Test
2) Concealed information Test
Comparison Question Test
x3
- Relevant questions Concerning the
Crime being Investigated - Comparison questions Concerning person’s
Honesty & past history Prior to event Being
Investigated - Includes irrelevant Questions unrelated To the crime
Concealed information Test
x3
- Each question has one Correct option and 4 Options that are foils
(Could be for the crime but Are incorrect) - Series of questions In multiple choice Format
- Seeks to determine Whether suspect Knows details about A crime that only Person who committedThe crime would know
results of deception detection accuracy among normal & professional groups
x4
- Rate for detecting deception for
professionals such as police officers,
judges, and psychologists Is not much more accurate than that of students and
other citizens. - People tend to Rely on behaviours That lack predictive Validity.
- Neither level of experience nor confidence In deception-detection ability is associated with accuracy rates
- Truth-bias: Tendency of people To judge more messages As truthful than deceptive
Distinguishing between Factitious disorders:
- Deception is a central component of some psychological disorders. Disorders vary on 2 dimensions:
A) Whether person intentionally or consciously produces the symptoms
B) Whether motivation Is internal or external
Distinguishing between Factitious disorders:
Malingering
x2
- Intentionally faking psychological
or physical symptoms for some type of external gain - Two Key components:
A) Psychological or physical symptoms are clearly under voluntary control
B) There are External motivations for the production of symptoms
Distinguishing between Factitious disorders:
Factitious disorder
x4
(1) Person’s physical & psychological
symptoms are intentionally produced and are adopted for no external rewards.
2) Might be aware they are intentionally Producing
the symptoms, but may lack insight into the underlying psychological motivation.
3) Muchausen syndrome by proxy: A person intentionally produces an illness in his child
4) Goal is to get the attention and sympathy of others.
Distinguishing between Factitious disorders:
Defensiveness
x3
1) Conscious denial or extreme minimization of physical or psychological symptoms
2) Seek to present themselves in a favourable light
3) Want to appear to be functioning
How malingered psychosis can be discovered
x8
1) Understandable motive for
committing crime
2) Presence of a partner in crime
3) Current crime fits pattern a previous criminal
history
4) Suspicious hallucinations
5) Suspicious delusions
6) Marked discrepancies in interview versus non-interview behaviour
7) Sudden an emergence of psychotic symptoms to explain criminal act
8) Absence of any subtle signs of psychosis
Distinguishing between Factitious disorders:
Malingering
x2
- Intentionally faking psychological
or physical symptoms for some type of external gain - Two Key components:
A) Psychological or physical symptoms are clearly under voluntary control
B) There are External motivations for the production of symptoms
Distinguishing between Factitious disorders:
Factitious disorder
x4
(1) Person’s physical & psychological
symptoms are intentionally produced and are adopted for no external rewards.
2) Might be aware they are intentionally Producing
the symptoms, but may lack insight into the underlying psychological motivation.
3) Muchausen syndrome by proxy: A person intentionally produces an illness in his child
4) Goal is to get the attention and sympathy of others.
Distinguishing between Factitious disorders:
Defensiveness
x3
1) Conscious denial or extreme minimization of physical or psychological symptoms
2) Seek to present themselves in a favourable light
3) Want to appear to be functioning
How can malingering be studied?
Case studies
x2
1) Only way to examine rare syndromes such as MBP syndrome
2) Useful for generating wide variety of
hypotheses that can be tested by using
designs with more experimental rigour
How can malingering be studied?
Simulation
People are told to pretend they have
specific symptoms or a disorder
How can malingering be studied?
Known groups
x2
1) Involves comparing genuine patients and malingers attempting to fake the disorder the patients have
2) TWO STAGES:
a) Analysis of the similarities
and differences between
these criterion groups
b) The establishment of the criterion groups (Genuine patients and malingers)
Verbal & non-verbal behaviour cues that indicate deception
-Verbal
x4
1) Speech fillers (Ah, ummm)
2) Rate if Speech
3) Speech pauses
4) Speech errors (Word or sentence repetition, Sentence change, sentence incompletion, or slips of the tongue)
Verbal & non-verbal behaviour cues that indicate deception
- Voice pitch
1) Liars tend to speak in higher-pitch voice
Verbal & non-verbal behaviour cues that indicate deception
- Non-verbal
x6
1) Smiling
2) Illustrators (Gestures to modify or supplement what is being said)
3) Self-manipulation (Eg. Rubbing one’s
hands)
4) blinking
5) fidgeting
6) Gaze aversion
Alternative physiological measures to
determine deception
x3
1) Brain-based responses:
2) Event-related brain potentials
(ERP)
3) Functional magnetic resonance
imaging (fMRI)
Alternative physiological measures to
determine deception
- Event-related brain potentials
(ERP)
x2
1) Brain activity measured by placing electrodes on the scalp and recording
electrical patterns related to presentation of a stimulus
2) Proposed as a measure resistant to manipulation
Alternative physiological measures to
determine deception
- Functional magnetic resonance
imaging
(fMRI)
x2
1) Measures cerebral blood flow in different areas of the brain
2) Used to determine which areas of the brain are
associated with deception in a variety of paradigms
Empirical evidence regarding validity
of polygraph:
Field studies
x7
(1) Ability to accurately measure deception remains controversial
(2) Most studies use confessions to classify suspects as guilty or innocent
(3) Most guilty suspects are correctly classified
as guilty
(4) For innocent suspects the accuracy rates are lower
(5) Many of the innocent suspects were classified
as inconclusive
(6) Innocent suspects were falsely identified
as guilty
(7) Premise underlying the CQT does not apply to all suspects Because of a high False-positive rate indicating that innocent people respond more to relevant than comparison questions
Empirical evidence regarding validity
of polygraph:
Laboratory studies
x5
(1) Ground Truth: As applied to polygraph research, the knowledge of whether the person is actually guilty or innocent.
(2) Mock-crime studies evaluating the CIT indicate it is very effective at identifying innocent participants Slightly less effective at identifying guilty participants
(3) Correct outcomes were better in studies that included motives to succeed, verbal response to alternatives, and 5 or more questions And in mock-laboratory studies.
(4) CIT Vulnerable To False-negative errors
(Falsely classifying guilty suspects as innocent)
(5) CQT Vulnerable to False -positive errors
(Falsely classifying innocent suspects as guilty)
Is it possible for someone to fool
the polygraph?
x4
(1) Countermeasures: Techniques used to try to conceal guilt
(2) Researchers showed 30 minutes of instruction on rationale underlying CQT was
sufficient for volunteers to learn how to escape detection in a mock-crime study.
(3) Participants instructed to use either physical countermeasures (Eg. biting tongue, pressing toes
To the floor) OR Mental countermeasures
(Counting backwards by 7 from a number greater than 200)
(4) Both counter-measures worked with 50% of guilty suspects beating polygraph test.
Critique legal admissibility of polygraph in court
x2
(1) Not generally Accepted in the
scientific community
(2) Because there is so much mystique surrounding the polygraph jurors give polygraph evidence more weight than it deserves when determining the verdict.
