Lie detection is the art and science of trying to uncover instances of deception in behavior or speech. There are a wide range of methods used to detect lies, although none are foolproof and many have well known techniques for being overcome. However, deception detectors still have a variety of uses throughout the investigation industry and are still widely practiced services in the legal realm today.
This report concentrates on detailing the most commonly used techniques for detecting lies.
Methods of Lie Detection
Deception detectors are devices or methods which can sense the anatomical subtleties often associated with telling an untruth. The most often applied modalities include:
- Polygraph testing
- Electroencephalogram testing
- FMRI scans
- Voice stress analysis
- TARA testing
- Drugs, such as sodium pentathol, scopolamine and temazepam
Lie or Truth Factsheet
Obviously, virtually all methods of deception detection require the subject to willingly submit to the study. Accurate testing may be impossible, since there are well publicized ways to cheat almost every known method of popular lie detector test in use today.
Deception testing is rarely admissible in open court, but is sometimes included as anecdotal evidence or ordered by a judge for the purposes of monitoring a person’s behavior, especially in the cases of sex offenders, drug offenders and repeat criminals.
Experts in deception detection provide value in the services they provide, but also in the way that the tests are administered. An expert tester will know how to prevent many instances of cheating and will use psychology to distract and confuse subjects they feel are purposely trying to alter their anatomical reactions to invalidate the test results. It is never wise to hire an inexperienced deception detector specialist.
Deception Detection Services
What constitutes the truth and what constitutes a lie are different to every individual. Using psychological and bodily conditioning, a person can lie repeatedly, even when hooked up to a multitude of the highest tech devices, without being caught. Likewise, a person who is telling the truth may panic during an exam or have a sudden flashback of a painful or sensitive memory, that is sparked by a test question, causing them to seemingly answer deceptively.
While the test procedures are not perfect, they still work well in the majority of cases and will provide useful intelligence about a person’s actions and intentions.
To learn more about using a deception detector to bolster a private investigation assignment, contact a professional detective or a polygraph tester today.