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Test-Question-Formulation

The document outlines the objectives and rules for formulating questions in polygraph examinations, including types of questions such as irrelevant, relevant, comparison, and symptomatic questions. It emphasizes the importance of clarity, simplicity, and non-accusatory language in question formulation. Additionally, it provides examples and guidelines to ensure questions effectively differentiate between truthful and deceptive responses.

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Jessa Mariz Bernardo
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2 views

Test-Question-Formulation

The document outlines the objectives and rules for formulating questions in polygraph examinations, including types of questions such as irrelevant, relevant, comparison, and symptomatic questions. It emphasizes the importance of clarity, simplicity, and non-accusatory language in question formulation. Additionally, it provides examples and guidelines to ensure questions effectively differentiate between truthful and deceptive responses.

Uploaded by

Jessa Mariz Bernardo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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TEST QUESTION

FORMULATION
OBJECTIVES
After this topic, students will be able to:
1. Differentiate the type of questions in
polygraph examination.
2. Apply each type of question in the
polygraph examination.
3. Formulate questions to be used in
conducting polygraph examination.
REVIEW
Polygraph Chart
1. Chart Tracing – Pneumograph,
Galvanograph, and
Cardiosphygmograph Tracing
2. Chart Marking – Primary and
Secondary Marking
3. Chart Interpretation
PETER ABELARD
By doubting we are led
to question, by
questioning we arrive
at the truth.
RULES TO BE OBSERVED IN
TEST QUESTION FORMULATION
Questions must be simple and direct.
Questions must not involve legal terminology.
Questions must be answerable by “Yes” or “No”.
Questions must be as short as possible.
Questions must be clear and unmistakable.
Questions must be phrased in a language the
examinee can understand.
RULES TO BE OBSERVED IN
TEST QUESTION FORMULATION
Questions must not be accusatory or infer
that the examiner has concluded that the
examinee is already guilty.
Questions must refer to only one aspect
of the offense and only one offense.
Questions must not be insulting, profane,
or obscene words or terms.
RULES TO BE OBSERVED IN
TEST QUESTION FORMULATION
Examiner must not use words or terms he/she
cannot pronounce.
Questions must not contain inferences to one’s
knowledge, religion, race, ideology or belief.
Get feedback from the examinee to be certain that
he understands the meaning of the question and is
not rationalizing or personally coding by asking the
examinee, “What does that question mean?”
TYPE OF QUESTIONS
1. Irrelevant Question or
Neutral Question
2. Relevant Question
3. Comparison Question
4. Symptomatic Question
IRRELEVANT QUESTION
no connection to the matter under investigation and therefore
should pose no threat to the suspect
questions to which neither innocent nor guilty suspects have reason
to lie
are background-type questions dealing with information the
examiner knows to be true
traditionally, answerable by YES only
answerable by YES or NO (Marcy, Arther and ITCZ techniques)
used at the beginning of a polygraph technique to establish a
physiological norm for the examinee or throughout the examination
as needed to reestablish a normal physiological pattern
EXAMPLE
 Is your first name __________?
 Were you born in the __________?
 Were you born in __________?
 Do you live in __________?
 Is today __________?
 Is your last name __________?
 Are you in __________ right now?
RELEVANT QUESTION
deals with the matter under investigation
designed to solve a piece of the puzzle
deals with involvement in the crime
must be formulated so that the innocent examinee
can answer them truthfully, while the guilty
examinee is forced to lie
formulated to threaten the guilty person and cause
subsequent physiological arousals to occur
RELEVANT QUESTION
cannot imply guilt or infer that the
examiner has already reached the
conclusion that the examinee is guilty
should not contain words that are legalistic
or emotional that the language itself may
cue responses, regardless of whether the
person is lying or telling the truth
RELEVANT QUESTION
emotionally charged words (kill, rape, and steal)
are avoided since they themselves could make
examinees uncomfortable and may upon their
usage alone elicit a physiological response
intimidating legal words (burglarize, extort,
bribe, and rob) are avoided for the same reason
and can be ambiguous and allow the guilty
examinee to hide behind a rationalization
RELEVANT QUESTION
A. Strong Relevant or Crucial
Question
B. Weak Relevant
1. Knowledge
2. Evidence Connecting
3. Sacrifice Question
STRONG RELEVANT OR
CRUCIAL QUESTION
 designed to test for direct
involvement which is specifically
designed to produce an emotional
response in guilty subjects, it
having an intense specific
relationship to the crime
EXAMPLE OF DIRECT INVOLVEMENT
RELEVANT QUESTION
 Did you commit that crime?
 Did you start that fire?
 Did you take that missing money from
the safe?
 Did you force that woman to have sex?
 Did you shoot that man?
WEAK RELEVANT QUESTION
 indicates deception on the part of the subject
1. Knowledge Question - given to determine
information known to the subject
2. Evidence Connecting – designed to link the
subject and the crime
3. Sacrifice Question – used to determine
truthfulness on the part of the subject. It is
answerable by NO.
SECONDARY QUESTION

formulated and given


to bring about guilty
knowledge or partial
involvement
EXAMPLE OF SECONDARY
INVOLVEMENT RELEVANT QUESTION
 Did you conspire with anyone to commit that crime?
 Were you present when that crime took place?
 Did you help anyone commit that crime?
 Did you plan with anyone to commit that crime?
 Do you know for sure who committed that crime?
 Did you see who committed that crime?
 Did anyone tell you they committed that crime?
EXAMPLE OF INTIMIDATING
LEGAL LANGUAGE
 I didn’t take a bribe.
 I accepted pay for a special job.
SUBJECT’S UNDERSTANDING OF
THE QUESTION
 ask “What does that question mean?” not
“Do you understand that question?”
 ask the examinee to explain the question
 prevent examinee rationalization or
personal coding
RATIONALIZATION
 a defense mechanism where an
examinee justifies their act
 example: an employee who has stolen
company money can rationalize that
it was not stealing since they were
promised a raise they never received
PERSONAL CODING
 an examinee redefines a crime so
it is no longer the crime under
investigation
 example: describing a particular
incident different from its legal
definition
ADDITIONAL RULES TO BE OBSERVED IN
FORMULATING RELEVANT QUESTIONS

Questions must force the guilty to lie and allow the


innocent to answer truthfully.
Questions must solve some aspect of the crime.
Use the word “that,” rather than “the.” “That” implies
specificity.
Descriptive phrases, such as “yesterday” and “other
than what you said,” should be in the beginning of the
question.
Case facts when included must be correct.
COMPARISON QUESTION
 create the environment for properly identifying
truthful suspects
 broad in scope and deal with issues similar but less
threatening than the relevant issue to be resolved
 questions one would expect everyone to truthfully
answer YES
 create a threat to innocent examinees, making
them feel as if they must lie
EXAMPLE OF COMPARISON
QUESTION
 In your entire life, did you ever
tell a lie to get out of trouble?
 In your entire life, did you ever
do anything for which you
could be arrested?
INCLUSIVE COMPARISON
 questions that include the time of crime
 “In your entire life…” or “Have you ever…?”
 the examiner should make the comparison question as broad and general as
possible
 ensure that a suspect experienced the maximum threat, forcing him to lie to
a question, which he felt might lead the investigator to believe he was guilty
of the relevant act
 In the Reid format, the strong relevant questions come before the comparison
questions
 example: “Did you leave the store with any of that missing deposit money?”
and “Did you take that missing deposit money?” and then is asked, “In your
entire life, did you ever steal anything?”
EXCLUSIVE COMPARISON
 questions that exclude the time of crime
 the comparison question be separated in time from the
relevant issue
 example: , if you are 24 years old at the time of the crime, he
would ask, “During the first 21 years of your life…” or
“Between the ages of 14 and 18….”
 Backster argued that this prevented the guilty suspect from
perceiving the comparison question as a relevant question
 In the Backster technique, the comparison questions come
first
SYMPTOMATIC QUESTION
 outside issue question
 a question type developed by Cleve Backster that was once thought to
identify whether an examinee is fearful the examiner will ask an unreviewed
question about an outside issue
 the examinee’s mistrust would dampen his responses to other test questions
 could determine whether the lack of responsivity was attributable to the
outside issue
 based on the hypothesis that when there is no physiological reaction to
relevant or control questions, there might be an anticipation of a question
about an outside issue that affects the individual’s response capability
 typically be a question that probes for issues unrelated to the crime but that
might still cause significant emotional or physiological responses
EXAMPLE OF SYMPTOMATIC
QUESTION
 Do you believe me when I promise not to ask a
question in this test that I have not gone over word
for word?
 Even though I promised that I would not, are you
afraid I will ask a question in this test that I have
not gone over word for word?
 Do you understand that I will only ask the
questions I reviewed?
SUMMARY
 The types of question formulated in polygraph
examination are: irrelevant, relevant,
comparison and symptomatic question
 Each question is formulated depending on the
purpose of the question .
 There are rules that must be followed in
formulating each test question.

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