Lie Behind the Lie Detector Maschke, George W & Scalabrini, Gino J

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tion, or right after answering the control question, and con-
tinue for 8 20 seconds, but no longer than the beginning of
the next question.
Countermeasures and the Stim Test
Don t try to fool your polygrapher during the stim test (see pp.
44 46). Instead, by employing the breathing and cardio counter-
measures you ve learned to augment your physiological responses
as you answer the question about the number you actually picked,
you can make your polygrapher think that you really are a screamer.
Practice Makes Perfect
You should practice both the breathing and cardio countermeasures
until you can employ them at will and with confidence. It would be
wise to re-read Chapters 3 and 4 of this book several times.
What About the Relevant Questions?
You may naturally be upset at being asked accusatory questions
such as Did you leak that memo? or Have you committed an act
of espionage against the United States? Don t worry. Just maintain
your baseline breathing pattern. Your mind should be more at ease
knowing that you and not your polygrapher are in control. Even
if you produce a slight response when asked the accusatory relevant
questions, you will have artificially produced stronger responses
while answering the control questions.
It s Not Over Till It s Over
Remember to continue your baseline breathing pattern until the
pneumograph tubes are removed from your chest and abdomen.
polygraph countermeasures 79
If you have correctly identified the control questions and applied
the countermeasures described above, you should have produced a
strongly truthful chart.
To Explain or Not to Explain
Responses to Relevant Questions
At some point in the in-test phase, your polygrapher may turn
off the polygraph instrument, sit down in front of you, and tell you
that a question is troubling you, and ask you if there is anything
you would like to get off your chest before a repeat polygraph chart
is done. This is a commonly-used bluff. Don t fall for it.
If you have agreed against our advice to submit to a polygraph
interrogation in a criminal investigation, then under no circum-
stances should you try to explain why you might have reacted to a
question. Remember that any minor admissions you make at this
point are likely to be blown out of proportion. Maintain your truth-
fulness politely, but firmly. I told you the truth, nothing is bothering
me about that question.
If, however, you have submitted to a pre-employment or post-
employment polygraph screening interrogation, then you should
have some explanation prepared in advance that cannot be turned
into a damaging admission, just in case your polygrapher tells you
that one of the relevant questions really seems to bother you. If you
refuse to offer any explanation at all as to why you might have
reacted to a certain relevant question, then your polygrapher might
interpret it as stonewalling and use his discretion to render an adverse
opinion. Thus, you should appear concerned and puzzled as you
offer a pre-planned explanation. Some examples of explanations
that cannot be twisted into damaging admissions include:
" All I can think of is that I ve always felt guilty when I m
accused of something. When I was a kid, if my Dad asked me if I
had done something bad or a teacher accused me of copying
80 the lie behind the lie detector
someone else s homework, even if I hadn t, I d get upset, and I
just knew I looked guilty to them.
" The only thing that comes to mind is that I m in the middle
of reading a Tom Clancy novel which involves espionage/drug
dealing. (If you use an explanation like this, be prepared to name
the book, and be sure you re familiar with the story, just in case.)
" I recently heard that an old childhood friend of mine died
of a drug overdose. I hadn t seen him in years. I never would have
imagined that he would grow up to become a drug abuser. I
couldn t help thinking of him when you asked me the question
about drug use.
Don t memorize and repeat any of the above explanations word for
word! Again, polygraphers are likely to be reading this book, too,
and if you repeat any of the above explanations verbatim, your
polygrapher may catch on. Instead, have a couple explanations based
on your own life experience handy before you go into your polygraph
interrogation. If all goes well, you ll never have to offer your expla-
nations as to why you might have reacted to a relevant question.
If, however, your polygrapher remains unsatisfied after you have
offered your explanation as to why you might have reacted to one
of the relevant questions, then you should offer no further explana-
tion. I told you the truth. I can t think of any other reason why I
might have reacted when you asked that question.
Don t Stay for a Post-Test Interrogation
After you ve gone through all the question repetitions, your polyg-
rapher may attempt to subject you to a post-test interrogation.
He may tell you that your charts show deception (even if, based on
polygraph doctrine, they don t), and that he can t help you unless
you admit to whatever it is that was bothering you. Again, don t fall
for this bluff. Your polygrapher is not there to help you. The sole
purpose of the post-test interrogation is to obtain a confession or
polygraph countermeasures 81
damaging admission. If your polygrapher attempts a post-test
interrogation, it is a good sign that you have already failed.
You have nothing to gain by remaining for this interrogation.
Politely, but firmly, terminate the interrogation, and leave. I told
you the truth, but you say I m lying. I don t understand. I have
nothing more to say to you. Good day.
What If I m Accused of Employing Countermeasures?
The countermeasures we ve discussed produce physiological re-
sponses that are indistinguishable from those that polygraphers be-
lieve to be indicative of deception. But if the polygrapher (or his
boss) was already suspicious of you before the polygraph interroga-
tion, he may remain suspicious even after you produce a truthful
chart. He may accuse you of having employed countermeasures,
even though he can t prove it.
This situation may be more likely if you have failed a polygraph
interrogation in the past. Perhaps you are reading this book because
you told the truth but failed a polygraph interrogation, and you
want to make sure that you are not a false positive the second time.
Your polygrapher will be biased against you based on the earlier
polygraph chart reading, and may well be suspicious when you pass
your second polygraph interrogation with flying colors.
Your polygrapher might try the following bluff in an attempt to
get you to admit to employing countermeasures. He ll turn off the
polygraph, disconnect the pneumograph tubes, arm cuff, and elec-
trodes, pull up a chair knee-to-knee with you, look you dead in the
eye, and in a calm voice declare, I know what you re doing. (London
& Krapohl, 1999) Alternatively, your polygrapher may appear angry
or offended as he delivers his bluff. Don t fall for it!
If your polygrapher attempts this bluff with you, you should appear
to be confused, I don t understand. I told you the truth. What s
the problem? Remember the first rule we discussed at the beginning
of this chapter: make no admissions! And the most damaging ad-
82 the lie behind the lie detector
mission you could possibly make (in your polygrapher s mind) is
that you employed countermeasures.
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