Deck 3: Lie Detection

Question 1

Bond and DePaulo (2006) analyzed the results from 384 studies that tested the lie-detecting ability of more than 24,000 people and found that:

A) most people can rather accurately guess whether they are told the truth or a lie.
B) the accuracy rate of most people is barely above the 50% guessing level.
C) about 50% of people are especially clairvoyant and able to discern truths from lies.
D) training people can substantially increase their lie-detecting ability.

Answer 1

the accuracy rate of most people is barely above the 50% guessing level.

Question 2

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A) Lying is very common and widespread.
B) Deception makes social interactions go more smoothly.
C) Most people never tell lies.
D) There are a lot of different types of lies and reasons for lying.

Answer 2

Most people never tell lies.

Question 3

Lying is considered an adaptive behavior, from a(n) _____ point of view.

A) psychodynamic
B) cognitive
C) behavioral
D) evolutionary

Answer 3

evolutionary

Question 4

According to the text, the _____ intelligence hypothesis posits that human intelligence was accelerated by the need for humans to develop social skills related to manipulation, pretense, and deception.

A) crystallized
B) fluid
C) Goleman's emotional
D) Machiavellian

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT a limitation of the fMRI technology as it currently exists?

A) It is inexpensive.
B) It is not portable.
C) It requires a person to lie motionless inside the fMRI machine.
D) It requires a person to stay silent inside the fMRI machine.

Question 6

Lying can best be described as:

A) straightforward.
B) always intentional.
C) easily detected.
D) multifaceted.

Question 7

What type of error is committed when a guilty suspect is misclassified as innocent?

A) false negative
B) false positive
C) true negative
D) true positive

Question 8

Liar's stereotype is a very common but mistaken belief that when lying, people tend to:

A) squirm, stutter, and avoid eye contact.
B) talk a lot and be generally friendly.
C) be shy and use very few words.
D) move very little or try to stay still.

Question 9

The guilty knowledge test (GKT) polygraph technique:

A) led to the demise of the polygraph as an interrogation tool.
B) is almost identical to the comparison question test (CQT) technique.
C) does not attempt to detect lies.
D) can be applied in almost every criminal case.

Question 10

Considering substantial state differences in the admissibility of polygraph evidence in court, the results of a polygraph examination may be especially crucial:

A) before trial.
B) during cross-examination.
C) during trial if addressed in expert testimony.
D) after trial but before the appeal process starts.

Question 11

Which of the following is an example of a comparison question suitable for the CQT polygraph technique?

A) Did you kill Ms. Smith?
B) Were you at the bank on Thursday?
C) Have you ever taken something that did not belong to you?
D) Did you know Wendy Jones well enough to give her a character reference?

Question 12

The ability of humans to maintain relatively harmonious social relationships is facilitated by our capacity to _____ the truth.

A) bend and reshape
B) be brutally honest and share
C) deny and reclaim
D) preserve and maintain

Question 13

When surveyed by Kassin and his colleagues (2005), police investigators believed they detect lies _____, whereas their actual lie-detecting ability compared with that of college students was _____.

A) much better than average; worse
B) no better than average; higher
C) worse than most people; higher
D) at an average level; much worse

Question 14

According to research studying the effect of polygraph evidence on jurors, they tend to:

A) downplay this evidence.
B) take this evidence seriously.
C) only trust this evidence if backed up by expert testimony.
D) only trust this evidence if two of more polygraph tests produce the same results.

Question 15

Experimental research has demonstrated that when actual interrogation training videos are used, the training _____ people's ability to detect deception and makes people _____ confident about their judgments.

A) improves; less
B) does not improve; more
C) improves; more
D) does not improve; less

Question 16

Lucas is very worried that somebody may find out about his activities in drug trade. When asked questions about drug selling, he would deny any involvement and likely experience the following physiological changes that are recorded by the polygraph:

A) lower blood pressure, fatigue, and constipation.
B) changes in breathing, eye movements, and body temperature.
C) decrease in skin moisture, coughing, and dry mouth.
D) changes in blood pressure, breathing, and skin conductance.

Question 17

All of the following lie-detection technologies are described in the text as promising, EXCEPT:

A) criteria-based content analysis (CBCA).
B) hand micro-movement tracing.
C) electroencephalogram (EEG).
D) high-definition infrared thermal imaging.

Question 18

The theory behind the polygraph test is based on the assumption that _____ will cause _____.

A) the act of lying; increased brain activity
B) telling the truth; increased gastrointestinal activity
C) the act of lying; physiological arousal
D) telling the truth; a decrease in neural impulse activity

Question 19

In the comparison question test (CQT) of polygraph examination, comparison questions are designed to be _____ and compel people to _____ when answering them.

A) directly related to the crime in question; tell the truth
B) uncomfortable but unrelated to the crime in question; lie
C) outrageous and insulting; lose their temper
D) innocent-sounding but highly coercive; admit to committing the crime

Question 20

The method of the guilty knowledge test (GKT) was developed by David Lykken to remedy some of the problems with the earlier methods of polygraph examination. Which of the following is NOT one of the problems it has alleviated?

A) Some people are emotionally nonreactive.
B) Innocent people may react strongly to crime-related questions.
C) People who do not have faith in the validity of the polygraph may not respond in the way examiners think they would.
D) Different makes and models of the polygraph machine may produce different results.

Question 21

The following behavioral clues are a reliable indicator that the person is lying:

A) crossing legs or arms.
B) averting gaze or avoiding eye contact.
C) fidgeting and stuttering.
D) none of the above reliably indicate lying.

Question 22

During the 1960s-1980s, polygraph use was:

A) almost non-existent.
B) a lucrative business.
C) only permitted in government agencies.
D) impossible because the polygraph was invented later.

Question 23

Paula has been playing with her fingers and rings during the interrogation and tried to avoid direct eye contact with her interrogator. Most people would mistakenly conclude that she is hiding something. This erroneous belief is called:

A) false-positive bias.
B) confirmation bias.
C) false-positive stereotype.
D) liar's stereotype.

Question 24

There are several problems with standard polygraph techniques like CQT. Which of the following is NOT one of these problems?

A) In some people, lying produces little physiological response.
B) There is lack of standardization and significant subjectivity in polygraph examiners' scoring.
C) People who do not have faith in the validity of the polygraph may not respond in the way examiners expect.
D) Polygraph examiners believe in the importance of their mission and skills.

Question 25

The comparison question test (CQT) polygraph technique utilizes comparison questions that are supposed to make a person uncomfortable (so called known lie questions). Which one of the following questions is NOT a good comparison question for CQT purposes?

A) Did you ever do anything illegal or dishonest?
B) Have you ever tried a food you did not like?
C) Have you ever lied to get out of trouble?
D) Did you ever wish a person you hated got hurt?

Question 26

Based on research studies of people's abilities in lie detection, the following statement is true:

A) Most people can easily detect when another person is lying.
B) Police detectives are no better at detecting lies than college students.
C) Training does significantly improve lie detection abilities.
D) Fidgeting and avoiding eye contact are reliable clues that the person is lying.

Question 27

One of the most important tasks of the polygraph examiner using the standard procedures like CQT is to:

A) complete lengthy preparations before the polygraph can be turned on.
B) fine-tune the polygraph readings to each suspect.
C) convince the examinee that the polygraph can always detect a lie.
D) conduct a debriefing after the procedure.

Question 28

When researchers assessed police detectives' ability to detect lies, they found the police to be _____ likely to correctly assess the truthfulness of videotaped statements compared with college students.

A) more
B) less
C) equally as
D) significantly more

Question 29

According to the text, the most prevalent use of the polygraph in the United States is:

A) to detect and fire those who abuse illegal drugs.
B) by private non-governmental businesses.
C) in the criminal justice system.
D) for national security purposes.

Question 30

According to the text, confirmation bias is one's tendency to:

A) seek out evidence that supports one's pre-existing beliefs.
B) confirm the obvious when everybody else is already convinced anyway.
C) conclude that the suspect is lying despite having trusted this person before.
D) attribute errors in judgment to agreement with others.

Question 31

Jared was questioning a suspect using the Reid technique, and after a long and exhausting interrogation, the suspect falsely confessed to the crime just to put an end to the interrogation. When hearing this confession, Jared felt even more confident that the suspect was guilty. This is an illustration of the phenomenon that psychologists call:

A) false-positive bias.
B) attribution bias.
C) exhaustion bias.
D) confirmation bias.

Question 32

According to research completed by Bond and DePaulo (2006), people's ability to distinguish lies has a _____ above-chance rate of accuracy, and efforts to improve people's ability to discern lies have _____.

A) barely; not been very successful
B) significantly; been very successful
C) significantly; not been very successful
D) barely; been very successful

Question 33

The federal Polygraph Protection Act of 1988 prohibited the use of polygraph by:

A) all private employers for the purpose of hiring for a job.
B) most private employers for the purpose of hiring for a job.
C) all public employers including criminal justice agencies.
D) all public employers except for national security agencies.

Question 34

A study by Kassin and his colleagues (2005) found that police detectives were _____ likely than college students to judge false confessions as true, and were _____ confident about their judgments.

A) more; less
B) less; less
C) more; more
D) less; more

Question 35

Our tendency to seek out information that supports our beliefs is otherwise known as:

A) expected outcome.
B) liar's stereotype.
C) confirmation bias.
D) attribution error.

Question 36

Training people to detect lies _____ their ability _____ their confidence in their ability to discern lies.

A) improves; but undermines
B) improves; and enhances
C) does not improve; but raises
D) does not improve; and thwarts

Question 37

The comparison question test (CQT) posits that guilty individuals react more strongly to _____ questions, whereas innocent individuals react more strongly to _____ questions.

A) relevant; comparison
B) comparison; relevant
C) known; unknown
D) unknown; known

Question 38

The basic theory behind the polygraph is that lying:

A) affects brain activity patterns.
B) causes physiological arousal.
C) changes the coloration of skin.
D) makes swallowing harder.

Question 39

Studies show that those police officers who have passed through interrogation training:

A) have improved abilities to detect lies when questioning suspects.
B) feel more confident in their judgments of lie detection even when wrong.
C) exhibit superior skills in detecting the exhaustion bias.
D) correctly estimate their lie detection abilities.

Question 40

If a person is lying, the polygraph can pick up the following changes in his or her physiological functions, EXCEPT:

A) breathing.
B) perspiration.
C) heart rate.
D) brain activity.

Question 41

The technique that uses systematic analysis of written statements to assess the credibility of accounts related to a particular event is called:

A) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
B) criteria-based content analysis (CBCA).
C) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
D) the polygraph.

Question 42

Some promising low-tech methods of lie detection include all of the following, EXCEPT:

A) asking the suspects to tell their stories backwards.
B) insisting that suspects maintain eye contact with the interrogator.
C) making suspects listen to their own story recorded.
D) asking suspects to draw a picture.

Question 43

_____ measures almost imperceptible changes in the heat of the human face.

A) Criteria-based content analysis
B) High-definition infrared thermal imaging
C) The electroencephlogram (EEG)
D) Laser doppler vibrometrometry (LDV)

Question 44

When jurors are presented with polygraph evidence, they:

A) are warned by the judge that the polygraph has questionable validity.
B) also must hear an expert testimony to understand the evidence properly.
C) generally disregard it.
D) take such evidence seriously.

Question 45

According to a study conducted by Honts and colleagues (1994), the use of countermeasures _____ the detection of guilty suspects by 50%, and the examiners _____ able to tell that the suspects were manipulating their own arousal patterns.

A) reduced; were not.
B) increased; were
C) reduced; were
D) increased; were not

Question 46

According to the text, when police use the polygraph, it is usually done for the purpose of:

A) finding out additional information.
B) coercing the suspect to confess.
C) aiding in figuring out the motive.
D) exposing corrupt police practices.

Question 47

According to the text, even though fMRI is a promising technique, it has multiple serious limitations. Which of the following is not one of these limitations?

A) The person inside the fMRI machine must be motionless during the procedure.
B) The fMRI machine is highly portable.
C) The procedure is expensive.
D) Images of the brain can be taken no more rapidly than every 1.5 seconds.

Question 48

The guilty knowledge test (GKT) is one of the most promising polygraph techniques to date. However, there are some limitations to its usefulness. Which of the following is one of the main limitations of GKT?

A) Most criminals remember the scene of their crimes very vividly.
B) GKT does not attempt to detect lies, only the unusual physiological reactions.
C) A sufficient number of crime facts uniquely known by only the criminal is often not available.
D) Polygraph examiners are reluctant to take on the leading role in formulating the questions.

Question 49

According to the text, the actual level of accuracy of polygraph techniques is likely:

A) well above 90%.
B) between 50% and 90%.
C) between 30% and 50%.
D) below 30%.

Question 50

Elena was suspected of committing a fraud. Investigators asked her to tell her story in reverse. This promising lie-detection technique is based on the idea that narrating backwards:

A) makes suspects likely to confess.
B) causes false negative admission of guilt.
C) will be accepted by courts as evidence.
D) increases cognitive load.

Question 51

The guilty knowledge test (GKT) uses a multiple-choice question format. When a suspect provides the answers, _____ is usually _____.

A) the first choice; the correct answer
B) the last choice; the correct answer
C) the first choice; thrown out
D) the last choice; thrown out

Question 52

According to the text, EEG reads neural impulses _____, whereas fMRI reads brain activity _____.

A) continuously; every 1.5 seconds
B) every 1.5 seconds; continuously
C) every hour; every minute
D) every minute; every hour

Question 53

Which of the following statements correctly reflects the current legal status of the polygraph?

A) Almost half of the states have banned the use of polygraph results in court.
B) Only five states allow the use of polygraph evidence in court.
C) The Supreme Court has banned the use of polygraph tests in criminal trials.
D) Polygraph evidence can only be used in criminal but not civil cases.

Question 54

The rates of accuracy of the polygraph have been calculated using controlled lab studies and mock crimes. These rates are likely to be somewhat inflated for the following reasons, EXCEPT:

A) subjects in these studies do not have much to lose.
B) lies that subjects in these studies tell are very simple.
C) the polygraph machines used in these studies are outdated.
D) subjects in these studies have not been trained in countermeasures.

Question 55

The _____ shows a video image of the brain in action.

A) fMRI
B) NCCA
C) CBCA
D) EEG

Question 56

Techniques such as biting one's tongue, pressing one's toes to the floor, or counting backwards are all examples of:

A) aiding in polygraph testing.
B) countermeasures to polygraph testing.
C) aversion to polygraph testing.
D) liar's stereotype.

Question 57

The polygraph may be used as a _____ tactic to evoke _____.

A) coercive; a confession
B) gentle; turning over the evidence
C) hidden; the naming of suspects
D) blunt; the sympathy of jurors

Question 58

Marissa is being polygraphed using the guilty knowledge test (GKT). This test focuses on whether Marissa:

A) knows the facts that were published about the crime in the media.
B) knows the facts that one would expect that only the criminal would know.
C) is willing to share information that is uncomfortable for most people to share.
D) remains unwilling to be tested, which amounts to her admission of guilt.

Question 59

Among the techniques looking at brain activity patterns, _____ is better able to locate the precise area of the brain activity, whereas _____ is better able to determine the timing of the activity.

A) CBCA; EEG
B) fMRI; CBCA
C) EEG; fMRI
D) fMRI; EEG

Question 60

Unlike other polygraph tests, the guilty knowledge test (GKT):

A) relies heavily on the expertise of polygraph examiners.
B) reduces polygraph examiners to mere technicians.
C) places the burden of proof on the polygraph machine.
D) places the burden of proof on the polygraph examiner's skills.

Question 61

Discuss the limitations of fMRI studies in the detection of deception.

Question 62

Illustrate how the polygraph can be used as a coercion device to force a confession.

Question 63

Discuss what available scientific evidence says about people's abilities to detect lies.

Question 64

Compare and contrast the relevant-irrelevant test (RIT), the comparison question test (CQT), and the guilty knowledge test (GKT).

Question 65

Discuss research on the scientific validity of the polygraph.