From: jcs
Behavior-provoking questions are an interrogation technique used to elicit specific behavioral responses from a suspect, which can then be analyzed for signs of deception [00:00:28]. This technique is often used in criminal investigations as part of broader interrogation strategies and techniques and interrogation analysis techniques [00:00:28].
Types of Responses
The responses to behavior-provoking questions are typically categorized into two main types:
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Draconian Response An innocent person will usually provide a draconian response, immediately suggesting the harshest possible sentence for the crime they are being falsely accused of committing [00:00:32]. For example, when asked “What do you think we should do?” to the person who took the children, an innocent individual might immediately respond with “life in prison” [00:01:02].
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Equivocating Response A deceptive individual will often give an equivocating response [00:00:41]. This involves fragmenting and diverting from the question to avoid responding to the query in its entirety [00:00:45]. They might avoid direct answers or shift focus, such as responding to “What do you think we should do?” with “They’re going to come home safe, correct?” [00:00:53].
Application in Interrogations
Interrogation techniques and suspect behavior often involve using these questions to gain insights. For instance, in a specific case, an interrogator asked a suspect what should be done to the person who took his children. The suspect initially gave an equivocating response by asking about the children’s safety instead of answering directly [00:00:52]. When pressed further about what should happen if the perpetrator hurt them, he hesitated and questioned the applicability of the death penalty in Colorado, indicating a possible concern about the legal consequences of his own actions [00:01:20].
Another form of psychological pressure techniques disguised as routine questioning can also be considered a behavior-provoking question. An interrogator might ask a suspect to describe ways one could make someone disappear, specifically through murder [00:14:06]. This approach aims to understand the suspect’s knowledge or thought processes regarding such acts, even if presented as a hypothetical scenario for establishing a baseline for a polygraph test [00:14:32]. The suspect’s detailed or hesitant answers to such questions can provide further behavioral insights to the interrogator [00:15:23].