In cases where a polygrapher suspects countermeasure use, he/she may resort to either or both of the following techniques: 1) the "Silent Answer Test"; 2) the "Yes Test." These techniques are nothing new: they are described in John E. Reid and Fred E. Inbau's classic polygraph textbook,
Truth and Deception: The Polygraph ("Lie-Detector") Technique (2nd edition, 1977) as well as in James Allen Matte's
Forensic Psychophysiology Using the Polygraph (J.A.M. Publications, 1996).
AntiPolygraph.org has received information that the FBI is using these techniques, and it is timely to review them here.
In the "Silent Answer Test" the subject is instructed to remain silent and to answer the questions in his/her head. Matte explains the Silent Answer Test in Chapter 19 of
Forensic Psychophysiology Using the Polygraph: Quote:Several years ago, while conducting a psychophysiological veracity (PV) examination using the polygraph for a defense attorney on a suspected arsonist, this author observed that in both the first and second polygraph charts, the examinee consistently took a deep breath while listening to the relevant questions, which caused a substantial rise in the electrodermal response (GSR) pen. The excessive amount of air taken in by the examinee as a result of the deep breath naturally caused a need for less air intake in subsequent breathing cycles, causing a suppression pattern commonly found in a reaction tracing segment. However, the cause for the rise in the GSR pen and the breathing suppression could not be attributed to the activation of the sympathetic system while a logical scientific explanation for this physiological occurrence could also be attributed to another factor, the deep breath.
The fact that this examinee only took deep breaths while listening to the relevant questions and not while listening to the control questions would tend to indicate that the examinee's greatest concern or psychological set was focused onto the relevant questions. The possibility that the deep breaths may be a form of attempted countermeasure must also be considered.
In order to eliminate the distortion caused by the deep breath, this author decided to administer a Silent Answer Test (SAT) as the third chart. The examinee was advised that a third chart would be conducted using the same identical questions, but that this time, instead of answering the questions aloud, he was to listen carefully and then answer each question to himself truthfully but silently, in other words, he remains silent throughout this third chart. A review and interpretation of the third chart containing the silent answer test revealed strong and consistent responses to the relevant questions and a lack of any deep breath or other distortion in the entire chart. A fourth chart was then administered similar to charts one and two requiring a verbal response from the examinee, which subsequently revealed a deep breath on the last relevant question only, but which clearly indicated strong responses in all tracings on the relevant questions. The conclusion of attempted deception to the relevant questions was verified by a confession from the examinee who admitted taking the deep breaths in an attempt to distort the chart tracings. Research conducted by Frank S. Horvath and John E. Reid (1972) revealed that the Silent Answer Test produces better respiratory patterns by eliminating causes of distortions from the examinee who prepares himself or herself to answer each question aloud by inhaling a great amount of air; from the examinee who loudly bellows his or her answer to emphasize his or her denial; from the examinee who feels compelled to give an elaborate answer instead of a simple "yes" or "no" as instructed; and from the examinee whose throat is dry or irritated necessitating the clearing of his or her throat or coughing at intervals during the test.
Their research further indicated an enhancement of the utility of the electrodermal (GSR) recording. The SAT not only produced a chart with greater purity of tracing but also acted as an effective stimulation test for the subsequent polygraph tests/charts requiring a verbal answer.
The stimulating effect of the silent answer test on the guilty examinee may be due to the dilemma encountered when told he or she is not to answer the questions aloud but truthfully and silently to himself or herself. Previously the examinee has geared his or her defenses so that his or verbal answer to the relevant questions would not betray him or her. Now the examinee wonders whether he or she should answer those questions truthfully to himself or herself and presumably not show a reaction, which may reflect a different pattern than the previous charts, or silently answer them the same way as before and perhaps show a strong reaction as he or she may have on previous charts. This causes an inner conflict, a feeling of helplessness, which carries over into the subsequent test requiring a verbal response. The guilty examinee must now readjust his or her defenses again in preparation for his or her verbal responses to the relevant questions, which causes his or mind to race inasmuch as the two tests are administered back-to-back. The examinee's concern is on the relevant questions, which are now an even greater threat to his or her well-being which increases the strength of his or her psychological set onto the relevant questions and creates greater and clearer responses. The Silent Answer Test has the effect of enhancing the threatening power of the relevant questions to the guilty examinee, and conversely also enhances the innocent examinee's concern over the probable-lie control questions inasmuch as the relevant questions should be of no concern to him or her.
While most polygraph techniques employ the Silent Answer Test as a stimulation test and/or countercountermeasure, usually after the second chart, some polygraph techniques use the SAT as the very first test prior to the administration of the relevant issue test and include the SAT data in their decision-making process.
The way to pass the Silent Answer Test, as with polygraph techniques where one is directed to answer out loud, is to produce stronger reactions to the "control" questions than to the "relevant" questions.
The second counter-countermeasure technique is the "Yes Test." The subject is instructed to answer all questions "Yes." (In some cases, the "control" questions may be left out.) The idea is to trick the subject who has been augmenting his/her reactions to the "control" questions into producing reactions to the relevant questions insead. If he/she does so, countermeasures use is inferred. Anyone encountering the "Yes Test," should be careful
not to augment reactions to the relevant questions.
Reid & Inbau describe the "Yes Test" as follows
(Truth and Deception, p. 118):
Quote:The "Yes Test"
The "yes" test is particularly helpful in case situations where the subject has tried to evade detection by a distortion of the Polygraph tractings on his card test or other prior tests. As previously stated, the subject is instructed before this particular test to say "yes" to all questions, including those pertaining to the matter under investigation. On the "yes" test, subjects who had previously lied when they answered "no" to the same questions will often try to distort the tracings in an effort to make their "yes" answers look like lies....
...[R]ecent experience has demonstrated that it is probably advisable to exclude control questions during this portion of a Polygraph examination. We recommend this variance so as to alleviate any confusion in the examiner's mind as to whether or not the subject is distorting his "yes" test responses because of his deception on the relevant questions or the control questions. With the elimination of the control questions from the "yes" test the examiner can be assured that if the subject attempts to distort the test he is doing so because of efforts to conceal his deception regarding the matter under investigation.
...
It is of considerable interest to note that when a subject who has been lying on his previous tests answers "yes" (and therefore truthfully) on his yes test, he may nevertheless react in blood pressure and respiration in the same manner as though he were actually lying. The reason for this, apparently, is the fact that he views his "yes" answer as an incriminating one, and it is, therefore, disturbing to him. One the other hand, and contrary to what would normally be expected, a subject who has been telling the truth on his previous tests, may give no "lie" reactions when he says "yes" to the relevant questions on his "yes" test. He knows he has been telling the truth and apparently assumes the "yes" test is a part of the routine test procedure and is ordinarily undisturbed by the instructed lie answers....Exceptions do occur, however, and a liar may give no response when he says "yes" to the relevant questions..., whereas a truthful person may give a response."
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Polygraph Counter-countermeasure Techniques (Read 149577 times)
