PSYCH 3CC3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Cerebral Cortex, Polygraph, Ground Truth
5 Apr 2016
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Physiological measures have long been used in an attempt to detect deception. A polygraph (the word is a combination of two greek words; poly=many and grapho = write) is a device for recording an individual"s automatic nervous system responses. Measurement devices are attached to the upper chest and abdomen to measure breathing. The amount of sweat on the skin is measured by attaching electrodes to the fingertips. Sweat changes the conductance of the skin, which is known as the skin conductance response. Heart rate is measured by a partially inflated blood pressure cuff attached to an arm. Each of these measures if amplified and can be printed out on paper or stored in a computer to be analyzed. In a forensic context, a polygraph is used to measure a person"s physiological response to questions asked by an examiner. In canada, the police often use them to help in their criminal investigations.
