From: jcs
In police interrogations, detectives often employ various interrogation techniques to apply psychological pressure on suspects, aiming to elicit confessions or gain information. These methods can range from specific questioning strategies to creating an environment of amplified anxiety, especially leading up to or during a polygraph examination.
Behavior-Provoking Questions
One technique is the use of “behavior-provoking questions” [00:00:28]. These questions are designed to reveal a suspect’s mindset and potential deception based on their response type:
- Innocent Person: An innocent person will typically give a “draconian response,” immediately suggesting the harshest possible sentence for the crime they are falsely accused of [00:00:32].
- Deceptive Individual: A deceptive individual often gives an “equivocating response,” fragmenting or diverting from the question to avoid a direct answer [00:00:41]. For example, when asked what should be done to someone who hurt the children, Chris equivocated, stating uncertainty about the death penalty’s use in Colorado [00:01:20] and asking what it entailed [00:01:26].
Building Trust and Amplifying Anxiety
Interrogators work to establish a perceived rapport while simultaneously increasing the suspect’s anxiety.
- Discussing Sensitive Topics: Detectives may encourage a suspect’s openness on certain topics, like marital disputes, suggesting they’ve been “very good” at discussing “hard conversations” [00:01:49], and then segue into more incriminating topics like infidelity [00:02:16].
- Leveraging Pre-Existing Knowledge: Interrogators might reveal information they already possess to signal their comprehensive understanding of the situation. For instance, the interrogator was aware Chris was cheating with Nicole Kessinger [00:02:29] and knew that deleted phone data could be recovered by the FBI [00:02:51].
- Setting the Stage for Polygraph: Before a polygraph, an interrogator aims to amplify the suspect’s apprehension [00:07:21] for the “looming polygraph test” [00:07:30]. This includes indirect accusations and suggesting external pressure from “everyone” [00:07:17] who suspects them.
- Passive Accusation: This technique is used when an interrogator is almost certain of the suspect’s guilt [00:08:55]. They indirectly accuse and “indignify” the suspect, often by praising them for “trivial deeds” [00:09:06], such as taking care of children [00:09:08]. This is distinct from the “reframing technique,” which aims to shift the suspect’s self-view from negative to positive [00:08:38].
Polygraph Examination and Psychological Pressure
The polygraph pre-test phase is a critical time for applying psychological analysis and pressure.
- False Reassurance: The polygrapher may disguise psychological pressure as reassurance [00:10:30], emphasizing their training and ability to confirm innocence [00:10:09]. This is often used when guilt is “almost conclusive” [00:10:39], as a heightened state of anxiety makes it harder to “beat” the polygraph [00:10:44].
- Obtaining Examinee’s Version: The polygrapher will obtain the examinee’s account of the specific issues under investigation [00:12:08], even if vague [00:13:18].
- Disguised Routine Questioning: Polygraphers may use “subterfuge of psychological pressure” [00:13:56] by asking seemingly routine questions, such as “what are ways that you can make someone disappear?” [00:14:06] This familiarizes the suspect with specific terminology that will be used in polygraph questions.
- Directed Lie Polygraph: This test involves three types of questions [00:18:17]:
- Known Truth Questions: Easy questions (e.g., “Are you sitting down?”) that provide a baseline for truth-telling and reset thought patterns [00:18:20].
- Control Questions: Questions where the subject is purposely instructed to lie (e.g., “Before 2018 did you ever lose your temper with someone you cared about?“) [00:18:44]. These are designed so all answers will be “no” [00:18:56].
- Relevant Questions: Questions specific to the crime, which the examinee is supposed to answer truthfully [00:19:01].
- Detection of Guilt: A guilty subject will exhibit a stronger physiological reaction to relevant questions than to control questions, even if lying to both, due to the “immediate threat” posed by the relevant questions [00:19:07].
- Feedback Manipulation: After a practice run, the polygrapher provides feedback, often stating the suspect is a “really bad liar” [00:20:17] and that their reactions to lies were “significant” [00:20:38]. This feedback is designed to further increase anxiety for the real test, suggesting that any deception during the actual examination will be “10 times more amplified” [00:20:56].
Polygraph Results and Pressure to Confess
Upon completion of the polygraph, the interrogator may immediately declare the suspect “did not pass the polygraph test” [00:23:38]. This direct accusation, combined with the earlier psychological conditioning, creates immense pressure, leading directly to the demand to “talk about what actually happens” [00:23:43] and encouraging a confession [00:23:54]. These strategies aim to break down a suspect’s resistance by highlighting what is presented as undeniable evidence of deception.