ADMISSION- statement of fact by the accused, which does not directly involve

acknowledgement of guilt in committing or having participated in the commission of an offense.

CONFESSION- a declaration made by a person voluntarily, stating or acknowledging that has
committed or participated in the commission of a crime.
TRIPOD FOUNDATION OF POLYGRAPH TECHNIQUE- Mechanical, physiological and
psychological basic premise
MECHANICAL BASIC PREMISE- polygraph machine is mechanically capable of making
graphical records containing reliable information regarding physiological changes.
PHYSIOLOGICAL BASIC PREMISE- those automatically occur only following the stimulation of
specific nervous system components.
PSYCHOLOGICAL BASIC PREMISE- under the polygraph leg premise, the specific nervous
system component whose stimulation can thus be diagnosed are so stimulated by the
involuntary mental and emotional processes of individuals
PHYSIOLOGICAL PHENOMENA AS BASIS OF DETECTING DECEPTION AS PER THE
TRIPOD FOUNDATIONS
1. Blood pressure and heart beat frequency
2. Adrenaline- a certain hormone that increases the heartbeat frequency
3. Breathing- inspiration(inhalation) caused by the contraction of the diaphragm and
expansion of the chest cavity. Expiration(exhalation) caused by relaxation of the
diaphragm and contraction of the chest cavity
4. Electrodermal response- the most current popular name for the human body
phenomenon in which the body, mainly the skin changes resistance electrically upon the
application of certain external stimuli.
FACTORS THAT AFFECTS THE ACCURACY OF THE POLYGRAPH RESULTS
1. Instrument
2. Condition of the subject
3. Condition of the examination room
4. Qualification and skills of the examiner
THE NECESSARY CONSIDERATIONS FOR AN EFFECTIVE POLYGRAPH TESTING
1. The instrument- all of its components and accessories must be operational and
functional.
2. The examiner- the qualification and skills of the examiner matters
3. The subject- 3 subjects for polygraph testing 1. Subject 2. The victim or complainant 3.
Witness
4. The examination room- lie detector test should be conducted in a quiet private room
PROCEDURES (PHASES) FOLLOWED IN THE POLYGRAPH TECHNIQUE
1. Phase 1- preliminary preparation- this stage is the initial interview with the investigator
handling the case or person requesting it. The group involved in this stage are the victim,
suspect and witness.
2. Phase 2- Pre-Test Interview - Stage of the interview of the subject, To prepare and
condition the subject for the test
3. Phase 3- the examination proper- the examiner should proceed to the placement or
attachment of polygraph sensors. The first to be attached is the pneumograph,
cardiosphygmograph and galvanograph sensors.
 4. Phase 4- post test interview- this stage includes all the consideration that bears on the
examination

What are the rules to be followed in the formulation of test questions?

 questions must be simple and direct.
 must not involve legal terminology such as rape, murder etc.
 must be answerable by yes or no -must be short as possible
 meaning must be clear and unmistakable phrased in a language that the subject can
easily understand
 must not be in the form of accusation
 must never contain an interference which presupposes knowledge on the part of the
subject
 all questions must refer to one offense only
 all questions must refer to only one element of an offense
 They must not contain interference to one’s religion races or belief

2 GENERAL TYPES OF QUESTIONS THAT MAY BE SUPPLEMENTED BY OTHER

QUESTIONS
1. General question test (GQT)- the most commonly applied
2. Peak-of-tension test (PTT)- which is usually used as supplementary test
RELEVANT QUESTIONS- questions directly related to the offense under investigation
STRONG RELEVANT OR PRIMARY RELEVANT QUESTION- which has an intense
relationship to the crime or problem being considered
SECONDARY OR WEAK- questions that concern with elements of the crime and deals mostly
on guilty knowledge and partial involvement
SACRIFICE RELEVANT OR DO YOU INTENT TO ANSWER TRUTHFULLY (DYAT)
QUESTION- design to absorb the response generally generated by the introduction of the first
relevant questions in the series.
KNOWLEDGE QUESTION- Type of question is propounded to the subject to detect information
about a crime that only a guilty subject would have.
EVIDENCE CONNECTING QUESTIONS- this has to do with inviting subject’s attention on the
probability of incriminating proof that would tend to establish his guilt.
CONTROL QUESTION- used for purposes of comparison (COMPARISON QUESTION TEST)
2 types of control question
1. Primary control questions- recalls the offense done from the time of childhood up to
three to five years of occurrence of the present offense being investigated
2. Secondary- more specific in nature, it is based upon another sort of wrongdoing which
will enhance the subjects opportunity for responsiveness
IRRELEVANT QUESTIONS- types of question which have no importance to the case under
investigation, these are questions which are believed to have no or very little emotional impact
on a subject.
PEAK OF TENSION TEST- the subject may be given this test if he is not yet informed of the
details of the offense for which he is being interrogated by the investigation.
GUILT COMPLEX TEST- This test is applied when the response to relevant and control
questions are similar in degree
SYMPTOMATIC QUESTIONS- its function is to detect and evaluate the presence of outside
issues which may suppress response to relevant questions
SKY QUESTION - Suspect Knowledge You
SILENT ANSWER TEST- conducted in the same manner as when relevant and control
questions are asked but the subject is instructed to the answer the questions silently
ZONE COMPARISON TEST- a 20-35 seconds block of polygraph chart time initiated by a
question having a unique psychological focusing appeal to predictable group of examinees

5 VARIATIONS OF ZONE COMPARISON TEST

1. Matte quadri-track zone comparison- control/relevant
2. Backter trizone comparison technique- control question, relevant, symptomatic
3. Bi-spot zone comparison technique
4. Integrated zone comparison technique- the most significant departure from original zone
comparison technique developed by cleve backster
5. Utah zone comparison technique- addresses for multiple issue

The Polygraph Examination

Pre-Test Phase