Lie Detection: How Can It Play Bigger Roles In Psychology & Law By Len Nieuwoudt
Lie Detection: How can it play bigger roles in psychology and law
As the crime statistics speak for themselves, most companies tend to do whatever they can to ensure they are able keep illegal activities such as fraud and theft to the absolute minimum. This, however, is not always possible and businesses experience “inside jobs” and need to make use of alternative methods to find the truth, such as lie detector tests.
Lie detection is a technique intended for the psycho-physiological detection of deception. It attributes the changes in your blood pressure, your breathing and electrical resistance which are all measured.
People tend to communicate using various queues such as verbal, vocal or visual cues. Based on the words you use, the quality of your voice or your body language, these can all provide information about your emotional and cognitive state, and whether or not you are lying. These all contribute to how lie detection can play a bigger role in psychology and law.
There Are Numerous Lie Detection Tools
More recently, psychologists and practitioners have worked hard to develop a number of lie detection tools which can be made use of in order to detect deceit. Professor Aldert Vrij from Portsmouth University in England is just one person who has identified a number of non verbal behaviours that may be directly related to lying.
These behaviours include, speech hesitations such as the words ‘ah’, ‘um’ and ‘er’. The change in your pitch of voice, the speed in which you talk and the duration of silence between the question and answer. There are also a number of movements such as the scratching of your head and wrists as well as leg and foot movements.
Educate People On How Lie Detection Can Play A Bigger Role In Law
By spending the time teaching people how to make use of the various lie detection tools, you can assist in finding the truth and the results being used in legal proceedings. This can pose a challenge as both parties will need to agree to the lie detection test being used.
The only way in which you are able to get someone to take a polygraph test in UK is if they give written consent. Once they have done that, you will need to go through the questions that will be asked in the test to ensure that there is no misunderstanding in what is being asked. It is for this reason, understanding psychological behaviour and queues are important as you are giving the person the opportunity to somewhat prepare for the test.
The other challenge that you might face is that people respond differently to certain situations and every person may have different trigger points based on past experiences. Because of this, it can result in discrepancies when only these lie detection tools are made use of.
It’s because of this that lie detectors need to be used in conjunction with other lie detection methods.
This can include the following:
- An increase in perspiration. The galvanograph aspect measures the difference in the electrical resistance of the skin as the person starts to sweat under pressure.
- An increase in blood pressure, and pulse rate. The cardiograph aspect measures these vital signs.
- An increase in breathing rate, accompanied by a decrease in the depth of each breath. This is also referred to as shallow breathing. The pneumograph aspect of the polygraph measures these aspects.
More recently, polygraph machines have been hooked up to computers, making it easier for the examiner to administer the test without having to try and keep up with lengthy paper rolls. Computers have helped to revolutionise the way polygraphs work, and are recorded. These computers have made analogue polygraphs obsolete.
Do Polygraphs Really Work?
It’s important to realise that on its own, these results aren’t always accurate. However, when administered by a seasoned polygrapher, and accompanied by all the associated technologies and techniques. this lie detection method is quite accurate.
There are many other reasons why it pays to invest in this form of lie detection. Protect your business and assets by making sure you have a team you can trust and rely on by making use of the latest lie detection methods and technologies.
Author Bio:
Len Nieuwoudt’s years’ of experience since 1989, in the SAPS(South African police Service) and the security industry his company Secure Polygraph Solutions was established in 2012. When Len isn’t performing lie detector tests he like to ride his bike on long journeys in and around South Africa.
