The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-08-13
LIE DETECTOR IS
UNDERGOING TEST
Success Depends on Physi-
cal Reaction to Emotion
al Disturbances
EFFECT OF REPRESSION
Not All Conclusive, but Rec
ords May Be as Aid to
Other Evidence
BY ELLIS II. MARTIN.

kAliN.'f
This question was asked Chief Of
Police August Vollmer, head OF the
only police department in the world
employing the device, and in whose
department IL was worked out by
Dr. J. A. Larsen, one of Vollmer's
super-cops. who In a university grad
ua'e and "A scientist.
IT will eliminate conviction OF the
Innocent and insure the conviction
Of the guilty" said Chief Vollmer.
- 1T will put an end to spurious
wills and eliminate the long and
costly legal contests which ensue in
such cases
1T will assist In putting TO an end
forgery Of documents and material
ly aid in settling civil cases In which
deception figures
IF Il works out"
And IL is upon this IF that Doc
Tor Larsen is now working
Already hundreds of tests have
been made. These are being studied,
oatslogued and classified. Thou
sands of additional tests are to be
made in the penal and insane insti-
tutions OF the state. These will In
turn be classified and studied. And
when hundreds of thousands Of rec
ords have been made Doctor Larsen
believes the test will be so stand
ardlzed that 1t will form an almost
infallible index TO the truthfulness OF
statements made by persons tested
,iy the "lie detector."
Has Scientific Name.
Scientifically the use of the "lle
deteetor" Is known as a deception
test
The machine evolved by Doctor
Larsen permits the taking OF a con-
tnuous blood pressure curve syn
enormously with a respiratory and a
timing curve. The apparatus in
cludes a sensitlzed recording strip
moving o ma drum. a sphygmoma-
nometer to record the blood pres
sure and n chronograph to record
the time In fifths OF seconds or
greater intervals, while the reaction
time Is further obtained by the use
OF signal magnet
Since deception plays such an
important role on the witness stand
and in criminal Investigation. It Is
imperative that the criminologist
should become familiar with some
OF its manifestations and methods
employed to study It," said Doctor
Larsen today.
The earliest account Of the case
OF deception is in the Bible, where
Solomon was called upon to decide
which OF two women claiming a
child was lying. He settled the
problem by ordering the child cut
in two pieces. The liar maintained
silence, while the real mother was
willing TO forego her claim. The
Chinese made use of a sound psyche
physiological principle that fear may
inhibit the salivary flow, The Eng
lish had the system OF the ordeal"
Going further the modern method
OF the third degree" is encountered.
Aside from humanitarian consid-
erations, one important objection TO
the third degree" IL that cases have
been known whore innocent men
have broken under the strain and
confessed to crimes OF which they
were innocent.
The deception test we use Is
based upon the correlation between
the physiological and emotional ac-
tly!tles. A normal record Is OBJ
tained without any stimulus, word
or action. This is followed by a
short, predatory word preamble
while tracings are being recorded
after which a series of questions are
given. The questions are very sim
pie and direct and deal with indif'
ferent matters as we'll as the subject
under investigation.
In every case of deception, 81
checked by II e cardio-pneumo
4 graphic tracings and confession
Where are marked changes in thu
records. The effect of the suppress
sion or repression varies according
to the temperament and physica
character OF the subject. There ma!
be an increase or decrease in fire.
ouency, a marked depression or ex
citation or more or less summatiV
effect.
"In all cases of deception yet en-
countered the curve differs from
that OF the controls or the persol
who does not repress when ques
toned.
Interesting records have been oh
talned with drug addicts. The transi
tlon from the very sick, moanlnG
miserable individual TO the cheerfu
person may be shown graphically b
Comparing the record OF the san.
man before and after an injection O
morphine or other drug. TIL
&anstion may occur within FEY
Seconds"
The "lie detector" Is In use dali
IN the Berkeley police department
The consent OF the subject is slway
't'i''N' III HlSoh No7NS - 20 o.
readily.
The innocent are glad OF an or
portunity of clearing themselve
The guilty fear refusal. Its Us
runs the gamut of criminal invest
cation ascending the scale from II
juvenile offender to the ma
charged with murder. Only recent
was the means OF reunitlng a
estranged father and son, clearir
the latter's name of forgery.
Doctor Larsen believes the da
VIII come when the cardiopneun
psychograms, as the cabilistic stril
OF tracings are known, will tai
their place as evidence In courts
Justice. To his mind the importaI
thing is that they form permanel
record open to the Interpretation
al WHO study such matters. II
record Is there to be read by
who will
Scientific criminologlsts the wor
over are interested in the devic
recently a noted crimiuologist fro
copenhagen visited the laborato
VI Doctor Larsen to see the machil
ana Indicated that upon his retu
nome he Will put into use a simil
9eVlce. He arranged with Doct
larsen for the exchange of recor
n