History:
 | The idea that lying manifests itself in physical reactions has been claimed since the beginning of civilized humans. In Africa, persons suspected of an untruth were made to pass a bird's egg to one another. If a person broke the egg, then he/she was considered to be "lying", based on the idea that their nervousness for he event was to blame. In ancient China, the accused held a handful of rice in his or her mouth during a prosecutor's presentation of the evidence. Since salivation was believed to stop at times of emotional distress, the person was considered "guilty" if by the end of that presentation the rice remained dry. |
The origins of the modern polygraph actually date to 1913, when William Marston, a psychology student at Harvard, first used systolic blood-pressure as a method of detection of an untruth. He wrote a second paper on his beliefs in 1915, while finishing his undergraduate studies. He then entered Harvard Law and graduated in 1918, re-publishing his earlier work in 1917. A more complex device recording both blood-pressure and galvanic skin response was invented by Dr. John Larson of the University of California and first applied in law enforcement work by the Berkley Police Department under its nationally-renowned police chief, Chief Vollmer. Larson's device was the first that could be referred to as a Polygraph (meaning "many writings"), as Marston's earlier device recorded only one graph.
The history of lie detection is traced from its early beginnings to its evolved state and will be taught to the B.E.A.R FORENSICS student in an interesting and informative manner.
Psychophysiology:
Psychophysiology is the science of understanding the link between psychology and physiology. For example, psychologists are interested in why we may fear snakes and physiologists may be interested in the input/output system of the hypothalamus. A psychophysiologist will attempt to link the two. The psychophysiologist may, for example, try to explain the fear of serpants in terms of impulses coming in and out of the hypothalamus. However, psychophysiologists almost always study the psychological/physiological link in human beings.
Students will study the interrelationship between the mind and body, through an in depth examination of the effects of emotions on the nervous system, and the subsequent changes in the organs and systems. These are what Polygraph Examiners monitor and/or record for interpretation of truth or deception of an examinee.
Instrumentation:
B.E.A.R FORENSICS students will be instructed in the complete nature of state of the art polygraph instrumentation used in the detection of deception. Necessary care, maintenance and how they function will be covered as well as the latest advancements in the field of psychophysiology and the detection of decepton while using devices will be explored. |  |
Techniques:
A comprehensive study of the various forensic psychophysiological (Polygraph) techniques in use today. The B.E.A.R FORENSICS student will acquire a working knowledge of each of the major polygraph techniques and will be capable of using any of them in the field for both law enforcement and commercial purposes.
Polygraph as a Business:
Theory is an important body of knowledge for the graduating Polygraph Examiner. Many examiners graduate from Polygraph Schools throughout the world prepared to perfom an approved polygraph proceedure; however, very few graduates of these schools come out prepared to operate a polygraph business. We will remove the mystery of the polygraph business by giving hard examples from experienced business men/Polygraph Examiners about what they did not learn in Polygraph School. Consent Forms, Report Writing, Interview Checklists, Video/Audio Recordng Devices and Standard Business Practices will be some of the topics that will be taught to the B.E.A.R FORENSICS student.
Interviewing:
 | The word "interview" refers to a non-accusatory question and answer session with a witness, victim or a suspect. Additionally, to standard investigative questions, structured behavioral provoking questions are asked to elicit behavioral symptoms of truth or deception from the person being interviewed. |
The B.E.A.R FORENSICS student will be taught to properly prepare an examinee for a forensic psychophysiological examination, along with various methods of ascertaining critical information from the individual. The student will learn to analyze Nonverbal Behavior and Verbal Cues, with the latest advances in this field.
Neuro-Linguistic Programming:
Neuro-Linguistic Programming or NLP is a combination of Art and Science. This unique study began in 1972 by Dr. John Grinder and Richard Bandler at University of California Santa Cruz. Recently, it has been used by Psychologists, Therapists and now even Psychophysiologists.
NLP is now the growing study of predictable and recognizable patterns in human behavior used by skilled Polygraph Examiners. NLPstands for:
Neuro (N)- sight, hearing, smell, taste, tactile, and emotional sensations which activate memory and other synopsis.
Linguistic (L)- indicates that we use language to command our thoughts and behaviors, knowingly or otherwise. Users of the NLP technique know that even the voice in our head uses language on the most personal level.
Programming (P) -refers to ways we can choose to organize our thoughts and behaviors to produce results (*or to conceal thoughts and behaviors.)
NLP deals with the structure and subjectivity of individual's desires and how people communicate such desires through micro-expressions, eye movements, verbal/statement cues, and memes. As a trained B.E.A.R. Polygraph Examiner, you will be able to recognize, interpret, and effectively respond to NLP cues in order to better understand the subject you are communicating with, and to better assess the risk associated with that examinee.
Question Formulation:
This area of instruction covers one of the most vital phases of lie detection, the selection of the correct issue and formulation of questions, which reflect both the needs of the examiners and the concepts of the examinee. Students will be trained to artfully develop polygraph questions.
Chart Interpretation:
Chart analysis is a crucial part of any polygraph examination. This phase of study teaches the student how to understand the physiological phenomena recorded by the instrument based on the psychological stimuli (the question) that enables the Polygraph Examiner to reach an accurate conclusion of truth or deception. The development of numerical evaluation is taught from its origin to the latest advancement in scoring systems used by the US Department of Defense and other polygraph pioneers. | 
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Interrogation:
Interrogation is an accusatory process. It is accusatory only in the sense that the Polygraph Examiner tells the deceptive examinee that there is no doubt as to his/her involvement in the matter under investigation. The interrogation is in the form of a monoloque presented by the Polygraph Examiner, rather than a question and answer format. That is, the Polygraph Examiner does most of the talking until the beginnings of acceptance of guilt/resposibilty for the topic of investigation. The actual demeanor of the Polygraph Examiner during the course of any interrogation is always understanding, patient, and non-demeaning. |  |
The B.E.A.R FORENSICS student will be familiarized with a multitude of interrogation approaches along with case studies and videos of actual cases. Students will be instructed by B.E.A.R. FORENSICS master interrogators which will instruct them how and when to obtain confessions from deceptive examinees.
Legal and Ethical Aspects:
Experience has taught us that ethical conduct by the forensic psychophysiologists is essential. A code of conduct prescribed by the American Polygraph Association will be presented and discussed. Students will be informed of the latest available legal opinions from the courts concerning lie detection and its application.
Forensic Psychophysiology Research and Methods:
The basis of any scientific technique requires that it be valid and reliable. Our students will be familiarized with current research regarding the validity and reliability of the forensic psychophysiological technique. Students will also be acquainted with published scientific research data and journals, and ascertain a basic understanding of scientific experimental design.
