Deception Detection Techniques

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Questions and Answers

Which tool is primarily used to detect changes in blood flow related to deception?

Event-related potentials (ERP)

Polygraph

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

Thermal imaging (correct)

What is one of the primary theories behind verbal and non-verbal indicators of deception?

Emotional disconnection

Content complexity (correct)

High confidence levels

Over-control of speech dynamics

What verbal behavior might indicate a person is lying?

Higher pitched voice (correct)

Rich detail in accounts

Frequent nodding

Fast speech rate

Which of the following has been shown NOT to be a reliable indicator of deception?

Fidgeting Signup and view all the answers

What type of questioning tends to produce more accurate information from children?

Free Recall Signup and view all the answers

What is the average accuracy rate of professionals in detecting deception?

56% Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is considered a limitation of using event-related potentials (ERP) in deception detection?

Research and practical limitations Signup and view all the answers

What is a significant risk when using reporting scripts in questioning children?

Increased suggestibility Signup and view all the answers

What is one reason for the low accuracy in detecting deception among professionals?

Gaze aversion reliance Signup and view all the answers

How does language ability relate to a child's memory recall?

It helps structure memories and improves recall. Signup and view all the answers

How can the accuracy of deception detection be improved?

Through training Signup and view all the answers

What factor contributes to children's suggestibility during interviews?

Lack of experience with interview settings Signup and view all the answers

What do children tend to exhibit when responding to WH-questions?

More likely to say 'I don't know' Signup and view all the answers

Which statement best captures children's interaction with approval cues during questioning?

They often look for approval cues and respond accordingly. Signup and view all the answers

What is a common misattribution that children may experience?

Confusing heard information with experienced events Signup and view all the answers

How can the complexity of language in the Criminal Justice System affect child witnesses?

It may hinder their ability to accurately convey information. Signup and view all the answers

What should be assessed prior to providing feedback to witnesses?

Witness confidence Signup and view all the answers

Which guideline emphasizes the importance of both clearing innocent suspects and identifying guilty ones?

Informing witnesses Signup and view all the answers

What effect does whispering or emotional expression have on voice identification accuracy?

It decreases accuracy Signup and view all the answers

Which lineup presentation method is recommended to improve accuracy?

Sequential presentation Signup and view all the answers

What is the main assumption of using anatomically detailed dolls in interviews with children?

Children will provide more information than they would otherwise. Signup and view all the answers

What was a significant finding regarding children as witnesses in the early 1900s?

They were considered highly suggestible Signup and view all the answers

What issue is associated with the use of anatomically detailed dolls?

There are no standardized specifications or guidelines for doll manufacturing. Signup and view all the answers

Which factor is NOT mentioned as affecting voice identification accuracy?

Use of accents Signup and view all the answers

What role did expert psychological testimony play in the legal system by the 1970s?

It became more accepted Signup and view all the answers

What was the finding regarding children aged 5-7 years when using human figure drawings?

It resulted in an increase in false touch reporting. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the state of child witness research before the 1970s?

Limited with little attention Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a part of the Criterion-Based Content Analysis (CBCA)?

Application of a statement validity checklist Signup and view all the answers

What does the Criterion-Based Content Analysis (CBCA) aim to distinguish?

True statements from fabricated statements Signup and view all the answers

What is one limitation of using anatomically detailed dolls mentioned in the content?

There is no standardized procedure for scoring children's behavior. Signup and view all the answers

What can be a possible risk of using representational aids for diagnosing sexual abuse?

They can lead to inaccurate and dangerous conclusions. Signup and view all the answers

What does the step-wise interview technique focus on?

Facilitating gradual disclosure of information Signup and view all the answers

What is a common evaluation method for measuring psychopathy?

Hare PCL-R Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following traits is NOT included in Factor 1 of the Hare PCL-R?

Need for stimulation Signup and view all the answers

How do psychopaths generally differ from non-psychopaths in terms of criminal behavior?

They typically start offending at a younger age Signup and view all the answers

Which term refers to psychopathic traits believed to be influenced by environmental factors?

Sociopathy Signup and view all the answers

What is a notable behavioral characteristic of individuals with psychopathy?

They show low concern for the pain of others Signup and view all the answers

In which area of criminal behavior are psychopaths most closely linked?

Fraud Signup and view all the answers

Which characteristic is associated with the measurement of psychopathy using the Hare PCL-R?

Superficial charm Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic behavior of psychopaths when faced with punishment?

They have difficulty avoiding punishment Signup and view all the answers

What does the misinformation acceptance hypothesis suggest about individuals when they encounter false information?

They guess and may try to please the experimenter. Signup and view all the answers

Which eyewitness memory aid technique is associated with increased suggestibility and inaccurate details?

Hypnosis Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary aim of the Cognitive Interview (CI) in aiding eyewitness memory?

To enhance memory storage and retrieval based on principles. Signup and view all the answers

How does the Enhanced Cognitive Interview (ECI) differ from standard Cognitive Interviews?

It includes building rapport and supportive behaviors. Signup and view all the answers

Which factor had a significant 30% increase in accurate information retrieval compared to standard interviews?

Cognitive Interview. Signup and view all the answers

What is a common issue associated with eyewitness testimonies based on phrasing differences in questions?

It can lead to biased responses based on subtle wording changes. Signup and view all the answers

What type of memory aids are typically not permitted as evidence in Canadian courts?

Hypnosis Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a technique used in the Cognitive Interview?

Memory suppression Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Unit 6: Deception

This unit covers deception, including tools for detecting deception, behavioral cues, and deception disorders.
Students are asked to evaluate their ability to spot a liar, considering the cues they looked for.
Common questions include how often someone lies in a day, and what the most common reason for lying is.

Deception Detection Tools

Polygraph: Physiological measures (respiration, heart rate, sweating) used for centuries. Not a lie detector, but based on the belief that deception leads to physiological change. It's not admissible in Canadian courts. It is still used in employee screening, but not by law enforcement.
Thermal imaging: Detects facial warming due to blood flow.
ERP (Event-related brain potentials): P300 used to detect guilty knowledge.
fMRI (Functional magnetic resonance imaging): Different brain areas activated during lying vs truth telling.

Deception Disorders

Factitious disorders: Intentionally produced symptoms. Internal motivation. Absence of external incentives. Lack of insight into underlying motivations.
- Munchausen syndrome: Deliberately produces physical complaints; seeks treatment. Harm self to perpetuate symptoms. Chronic and challenging to treat.
- Munchausen syndrome by proxy: Reports/creates symptoms in children. Generally the mother of a young child, age 4 or younger.
Malingering: Symptoms under voluntary control. External motivation, such as avoiding punishment, workers compensation. Prevalent in forensic settings.
Defensiveness: Conscious denial or minimization of symptoms. Present themselves in a favorable light. Often seen in sexual offenders.

Types of Polygraph Tests

Relevant/Irrelevant Test: Questions are relevant or irrelevant to the crime. Larger physiological response to relevant questions indicates deception.
Comparison Question Test (CQT): Three types of questions: irrelevant, relevant, comparison. The CQT begins with a pre-test interview and has two stages: 1. Examiner stresses the accuracy of the polygraph. 2. Comparison questions are developed.
- Sample questions: Irrelevant questions pertain to the respondent's identity; relevant questions deal with the crime; comparison questions deal with prior behavior and designed to evoke anxiety.
- Possible outcomes: Truthful, deceptive, inconclusive. Scoring: Comparison > Relevant: +1, +2, +3; Relevant > Comparison: -1, -2, -3.
- Results: +5 or higher = truthful; -5 or lower = guilty
- Problems: Innocent suspects can fail the test and guilty suspects can pass.
Concealed Information Test (CIT): Doesn't assess deception. Assumes only someone with knowledge of the crime will recognize the details. 10 multiple-choice questions; 1 correct option; 4 foils. Inaccurate at detecting guilty participants, but high at identifying innocent participants

Polygraph Research

Laboratory experiments: Volunteers simulate criminal behaviour. Ground truth is known. High level of control. Limited application to real-life situations.
Field studies: Use actual suspects in real-life situations. Compare original vs. blind examiners. Quantify failed polygraphs and guilty confessions. High realism, however, ground truth is not known, and does not include polygraph beaters.

Polygraph Accuracy

Comparison Question Test (CQT): Majority of guilty suspects are correctly identified (84%-92%), while 9%-24% of innocent suspects are falsely identified as guilty.
Concealed Information Test (CIT): Very accurate for identifying innocent participants (up to 95%). Less accurate for guilty participants (76%-85%).

Polygraph Conclusions/Summary

Not a lie detector.
Dependent on questioning techniques and interviewee's beliefs.
Research raises concerns. Requires caution.

Unit 7: Eyewitness Testimony

Memory is malleable and changes over time, despite the observer's lack of awareness of these distortions.
Memory is constructed and reconstructed, and repeated processing of memory causes it to change.
Encoding, storage, retrieval are the three stages of memory formation; Encoding - Perceiving events, Storage - Storing the information, and Retrieval - Retrieving the information from the storage.
Factors affecting perception: Change blindness (Change in visual stimulus is introduced but observer does not notice it); Stress (Yerkes-Dodson Law: Some stress, but not too much, is optimal).

Factors Affecting Retrieval

Inferences: People guess to fill in gaps.
Stereotypes: Fill in gaps with related information.
Partisanship: Biases affecting memory.
Scripts/Schemas: Typical vs. real information.
Emotional Factors: Anxiety blocks retrieval.
Context Effects: Cues affecting memory.
Time: Memory slippage.
Post-event information: Alterations to memory after events.
Enhancing memory: Other witnesses improve memory.
Compromising memory: Other witnesses impair memory

Types of Memory Retrieval

Recall memory: Reporting details of a previously witnessed event/person.
Recognition memory: Reporting if current information is the same as previous information (e.g., lineups).

Measuring Recall and Recognition

Recall: Amount of information; types of information (peripheral vs. central); accuracy (correct information, omission errors, commission errors).
Recognition: Accuracy; types of errors.

Police Questioning

Goal: Collect complete and accurate information.
Short questions; interruptions during witness testimony; off-topic questioning; leading questions all negatively effect accuracy.
Implications: Misinformation effects lead to changes in reporting; phrasing of questions can cause witnesses to misremember.
Explanations of Misinformation Effect: Misinformation acceptance, source misattribution, memory impairment.

Interviewing Strategies

Hypnosis: Techniques can increase details in testimony, but these aren't necessarily accurate; increase suggestibility
Cognitive Interview (CI): Based on retrieval techniques. Uses: mental reinstatement of context, report everything, changing perspectives, recalling in different order. Increased amount of accurate information.
Enhanced Cognitive Interview (ECI): Includes: rapport building; supportive interviewer behavior; transfer of control; focused retrieval; witness compatible questioning.

Lineups

Suspect vs. Perpetrator: Suspect is the person the police think committed the crime; Perpetrator is the person who actually committed the crime.
Lineup Procedures and Formats include: sequential and simultaneous lineups; photo arrays; show-ups; walk-bys.
Two strategies for selecting foils are: Similarity-to-Suspect Strategy and Match-to-Description Strategy.
Identification decisions (Lineups): Target-present: Correct identification, Foil identification, False rejection. Target-absent: Correct rejection, Foil identification, False identification.
Guidelines for improvement: Video tape;Inform witnesses; Present lineup sequentially; Avoid feedback after testimony.
Issues in lineups include: Bias (in foils, clothing, instructions, suspect); Live or photo lineups.

Video Surveillance

Errors in video can happen in lighting, quality, or disguises.

Voice Identification

Accuracy of identification depends on: voice length; accent recognition.
Accuracy lessens if audio has whispering or emotion; more foils present; target voice is placed later in the lineup.

Unit 8: Child Victims & Witnesses

History: Attitudes about children changed, with earlier views (e.g., Salem Witch Trials) and the early 1900s suggesting negativity towards testimony.
Reporting: Memory, language, social norms all affect children's reporting.
Interview Protocols: CBCA (Criterion-based Content Analysis); step-wise interview; narrative elaboration; cognitive interview; NICHD (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Protocol.
Lineups: Children have problems with sequential lineups; Elimination lineups are more effective for children.
Legal: Testifying in court (competency inquiry; Bill C-2); courtroom accommodations (screens/shields; closed-circuit TV; support person; prerecorded video).
Summary: Questioning, development, language, social norms affect children's testimony. NICHD protocol, elimination lineups, courtroom accommodations, and proper protocols are key.

Unit 9: Juries

Purpose of Juries: Apply law; protect from out-of-date laws; community conscience; increase knowledge of justice system.
Types of Offenses: Summary offenses, indictable offenses, and hybrid offenses; the type of offense determines the method of trial
Jury Selection Process: Jury Act outlines selection from random names in the community; jurors are summoned to court and judge explains process for selection. Challenges to Jury Selection (peremptory challenge and challenge for cause).
Juries can be selected by a broad-based approach (assessing traits and attitudes during the voir dire) or a case-specific approach (using a case-specific questionnaire to create a profile of the "ideal" juror, followed by questioning of prospective jurors).
Jury Behavior can be studied by analyzing their behavior, which includes the act of reaching a verdict, predicting a verdict, and nullification.
Research Methods include: archival records, simulation, field studies, and post-trial interviews. Methods have high/low external & internal validity.
Current Issues include: CSI Effect, law and religion, jury duty and PTSD, and additional psychopathology among jurors.
Grand Juries: Determine whether criminal charges should be brought, without judge, not unanimous needed, typically use preliminary hearings.

Unit 10: Psychopathy

Definition: Personality disorder; Intra-species predators; use charm or violence, show no remorse/shame. Seen in many cultures.
Measurement: Hare PCL-R (Semi-structured interview; scored 0-2); Self-reports: PPI-R & SRP. There are two factors: Factor 1 (glibness, grandiose sense of self-worth, pathological lying, conning/manipulative, lack of remorse, shallow emotions, lacks empathy, and fails to accept responsibility), Factor 2 (need for stimulation, poor behavioral controls, early behavioral problems, lack of realistic long-term goals, impulsive, irresponsible, promiscuity, and criminal versatility).
Psychopathy and Offending: High correlation with criminal behavior; often start offending young, persist for longer periods, engage in more violence. Fraud is closely linked with psychopathy.
Psychopathy characteristics and causes: Difficulty avoiding punishment, low anticipatory responses, low pain sensitivity, low concern for pain in others.
Causes: Heritability and environmental factors (criminal parents, neglect, abuse), cognitive/emotional deficit (don't pay attention to inhibitory information, lack of response to emotional items).
Treatment: Can psychopaths be treated? Violent recidivism is possible, with potential reductions in reoffending for treated nonpsychopaths, but increases for psychopaths. Treatment more successful with youth than adults.
Case Study: Ted Bundy, American serial killer with insights into thinking of a serial killer gained from prison interviews.
Summary: Psychopathy is a complex personality disorder; PCL-R is a key measure. Myths exist about psychopathy; violence and criminality are correlated.

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Description

Test your knowledge on the methods used to detect deception, including verbal and non-verbal indicators. This quiz covers various theories and practices in deception detection, particularly focusing on children's suggestibility and memory recall in interviews. Dive into the intricacies of how professionals assess honesty and accuracy in testimonies.