TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER TOPICS

I. Introduction to Lie detection

Definition of key terms

Typology of lies and liars

Historical Development of Lie Detection

Physiology of human nervous system

Chapter I

Introduction to Lie Detection

Lie Detection ak.a Deception Detection/Scientific Truth Verifier/ Forensic
Psychophysiology

It is the scientific method of detecting deception with the use of observation;

mechanical lie detection; use of drugs hypnosis, interrogation etc.

▪ Psychophysiological Veracity Examination

▪ Psychophysiological Detection of Deception

▪ Psychophysiological Credibility Assessment

Lie

Any untruthful statement usually stated to mislead or deceive.

Why do people lie?

▪ Take what is not rightfully theirs

▪ Escape accountability

▪ Create a fantasy or false esteem to escape reality

▪ Avoid punishment

▪ Inflict pain

▪ Steal admiration

▪ Gain advantage to exploit others

Types of Lies

Direct Denial

A lie that results in emotional disturbance.

Lie of omission

An act of telling what transpired but omitting details that are incriminating.

Lie of Exaggeration

It is the type of lies used by a person who overplays what actually happens.

Lie of Minimization

A lie which involves acceptance of a person that something happens but downplays
the implication or seriousness of the offense.
Fabricated Lie

A lie which involves the act of creating a story or series of events that never transpired.

White/Benign Lie

A lie that is made to maintain harmony of relationship

Red Lie

Sometimes called misinformation commonly used for propaganda.

Black Lie

A lie that is intended to dishonor/discredit.

Malicious/ Judicial lie

A lie that is told to mislead or obstruct justice.

Self-Deception

A lie that is used to deceive oneself.

Types of Liars

Panic Liars

A person who lies to avoid humiliation and consequences of his act.

Occupational Liars

A person who is paid for lying.

Tournament Liars

A person who loves to lie for a challenge, he thinks that lying is a contest.

Psychopathic Liars

An individual who has no conscience.

Ethnological Liars

A liar that taught and trained not to be a squealer.

Pathological Liars

Persons who are mentally ill and who cannot distinguish what is right from wrong.

Black Liars
A person who enjoys pretending and better known as a hypocrite.

Watch the invention of lying

Ancient Methods of Detecting Deception

Trial by Ordeal

A medieval form of trial in which an accused is subjected to physical test the result of
the tests will be the basis of determining whether the accused is guilty or innocent

Red Hot Iron Ordeal

An ordeal practiced in the hill tribe of Rahjmal in the North Bengal where an accused
placed his tongue on a red hot iron nine times or until he was burned before reaching
the ninth time of placing his tongue, The accused was also made to carry the iron in his
hands.

Ordeal by Balance

Ordeal practiced in the Institute of Vishnu, India in which a scale of balance is used. In
one end of the scale, the accused is placed in the other end, a counter balance. The
accused will step out of the scale and then he will be weighed back in. If found to be
lighter than before he will be acquitted.

Boiling Water Ordeal

An ordeal used in Modern Africa where the suspects will plunge their right arms up to
the elbow. When all are finished they will be back at the same time in the afternoon.
Whoever showed blisters will be judged as guilty.

Ordeal by Rice Chewing

An ordeal practiced by Indians wherein a Sathee with various incantations is required to

be eaten by the accused and spit it out on an eyeful leaf. If the saliva is mixed with
blood or corner of the mouth swells or trembles he will be judged as guilty.

Ordeal of the Red Water

An ordeal used in a wide Region of Eastern Africa where an accused is require for
fasting for twelve hours requires to swallow a small amount of rice imbibed with dark
colored water if he ejects all the rice innocent.

Ordeal by Cornsnead
An ordeal where an accused was given dry rice or bread to swallow, If not choked he
will be considered as not guilty. It is commonly practiced in China and Alexandria.

Test of the Eucharist

Practiced in European countries. It is believed that Angel Gabriel will descend from
heaven and prevent the accused from swallowing the food given to the accused.

Ordeal of the Bier

Practiced in Australian and European countries. It is believed that the corpse that was
brought on a bier of bough will touch the sorcerer who killed the victim by the use of a
witchcraft.

Ordeal of the Needle

Practiced in Wanaka, East Africa. Red hot needle is drawn through the lips of the
accused. If innocent no blood will be seen flowing out from the lips.

Ordeal by Heat and Fire

Practiced in East Germany, early Scandinavian countries and in early England. The
accused was compelled to walk barefoot through a fire, if he remains unhurt then he is
innocent.

Trial of the Cross

An ordeal practiced in Europe. The accuser and accused were made to stand with
arms crossed on their breasts. The one who endured the longest was deemed to have
told the truth.

Trial of the Waxen Shirt

An ordeal where the accused was made to wear a waxen shirt. If the shirt was melted
the accused is deemed guilty.

Donkeys Tail Ordeal

An ordeal wherein a Donkey was placed in one room for observation. If the donkey
cried then it is a judgment of guilt.

Countries which practiced ordeals

Burma
The accuser and accused were given each identical candle and both were lightened
at the same time. Holder of the candle which consumed faster was adjudged as the
liar.

Borneo

The accused and accused were represented by a shell fish. Shell fished was placed on
a plate and irritating fluid was poured on the shell fish. The first shell fish to move will be
the winner.

Greece

An axe was spun at the center of a group of suspects. When the axe stop whoever was
in line with the blade is the guilty one.

Nigeria

A priest will grease a feather and pierce the tongue of the accused. If the feather
passed through the tongue easily, the accused was deemed innocent. Pouring of
corrosive liquid into the eyes is also practiced in this country.

Europe and early United States

Commonly used for the crime of witchcraft where the hands and foot of the accused
are tied and he will be thrown to the water. If the accused sank, he is innocent, if
floated, he will be deemed guilty

The hereditary sieve Method

Beans were thrown into a sieve as the name of the suspect was called. If the beans
jump out of the sieve, the owner of the name is innocent. If the beans remains in the
sieve, the person named is the thief.

Trial by combat

Practiced in England during the time of King Henry III

Accused and accuser report to duel where the winner was adjudged as innocent

Those who are not proficient in weapons and those who could not afford to do so
could hire champions in the field to do the fighting for them

This type of ordeal is vividly dramatized in the movie “IvanHoe”. It became the only
legal ordeal.
Physiology of the Human Nervous System

Psychophysiology

The study of the functions of human nervous system and the bodily reactions of a
person as influenced by his mental responses to specific stimulus.

Fear of Detection

It is the fear of detection as well as the consequences of being detected that causes
the sympathetic system to activate in order to prepare the body to meet the
emergency.

Nervous System- it is the activator of the body system it sends out signal to all the body
parts for a specific response.

HNS

PNS CNS

Somatic Autonomic Brain and Spinal

Cord

Parasympathetic Sympathetic

Central Nervous System

The central nervous system is responsible for memory, intelligence and thoughts. It also
receives information from the body therefore it enables the body to cry or walk or even
understand and speak languages.

Left Hemisphere Right Hemisphere

Verbal competence logical Nonverbal areas

Speaking, reading, thinking and Comprehension, spatial relationship,

reasoning drawing, music, emotion,

Processes info in sequence Processes info as a whole intuitive

One piece of data at a time

Peripheral Nervous System

Autonomic Nervous System

Autonomic Nervous System is the main effector of the body that is found at the center
of the brain. It is mainly concerned with the regulation of the deviation from a particular
standard within very fine limits. The central control of the ANS is called the
Hypothalamus which is a group of nerve cells that controls the entire endocrine
hormonal system. It controls all the involuntary reflexes that we cannot control such as
heartbeat, breathing and blood pressure.

Fight & Flight Response

You perceive the sensory stimulus The adrenaline send epinephrine and nor-
epinephrine Hormones activates sympathetic nervous system
Produces state of arousal or alertness that provides the body with the energy to act, the
pupils dilate, the heart beats faster and breathing speeds up.

Physiological Response to Lie

Verbal symptoms

▪ Manner of answering

▪ Repetition of questions

▪ Incomplete statements or fragment sentence

▪ Overly polite

▪ Swearing truthfulness of assertions

▪ Vague response

▪ Use of I don’t remember not that I remember expression is often used by lying
suspect
▪ Assertiveness

▪ Inconsistencies
 ▪ Slip of the tongue

▪ Tirades

▪ Pause

▪ Speed of speech

▪ A peculiar tone of voice

▪ A forced laugh

Non-verbal symptoms of deception

▪ Manipulators

▪ Breathing

▪ Sweating and flushed face

▪ Dryness of the mouth

▪ Frequent swallowing

▪ Facial muscle twitching

▪ Gaze aversion

▪ Fidgeting, tapping or drumming fingers on the chair

▪ Swinging of legs or legs over the other

▪ Unnecessary movement of hands and feet such as scratching, nail biting, thumb
or finger sucking

Thru facial expression

▪ Blushing paling or sweating

▪ Dilation of the eyes, protrusion of the eyeballs and elevation of upper eyelids

▪ Squinting of the eyes

▪ Twitching of the lips

▪ Excessive winking of the eyes

▪ Failure to look the inquirer straight into the eye

▪ Excessive activity of Adam’s apple

▪ Quivering of nose or nostrils

▪ Rolling of eyeballs from one direction to another