Abstract
The most widely used device used in lie detection at the present time is the polygraph lie detector which relies on physiological change such as heart rate, blood pressure, breathing pattern etc. to detect the lie. It is not completely accurate and is sometimes not admissible in the court proceedings.
The Bi-Digital O-Ring Test (BDORT) could be potentially useful to supplement the polygraph and the new computer program known as FACS (Facial Action Coding Systems) for lie detection. Polygraph results are not 100% foolproof and its results are influenced by the tester (operator of machine) and how questions are asked. FACS was developed in mid 1970’s, its monitors objectively the facial muscle expression as there are 46 muscles in the face that move when there is expression of emotions such as fear, surprise, sadness and disgust. Research in the field of deception has discovered a method to chart the facial expressions with such a FACS. Most liars give themselves away by split second facial expressions known as micro expressions in 1/15 or 1/10 th of a second portray the lies with the facial muscle movement when they lie. This clinical study focused on using BDORT to detect false claim.
The Bi-Digital O-Ring Test developed by Y. Omura, MD, Sc.D. is often used for the identification of pathological conditions including the loci of pain, cancer and pre-cancerous lesions, and for selecting the most suitable medication(s) for a given disease entity. Though it could also be applied to other situations that could affect life, Omura and D.K.KIinghardt demonstrated that the BDORT can be used to monitor changes in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) similar to the way in which electronic biofeedback equipment is used.
The polygraph-test or lie-detector test is a common application of the physiological principles involved in biofeedback psychotherapy. Arousal or stress in an autonomic ganglion or organ can also be accurately monitored in the same way. Research by E. Rossi PhD and others demonstrated that the active, and unresolved psycho-emotional conflicts, that the client is often not aware of, can create arousal in the hypo-thalamus. This, in turn, stimulates the related pathways of the ANS, leading to the detectable changes (by BDORT) in the peripheral autonomic pathways and ganglia (both parasympathetic and sympathetic) and in the organs regulated by them. Stress in the ANS always caused weakening of the Bi-Digital O-Ring.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
In cooperation with the internists and family physicians in a medical centre, we selected the patients who claimed to have medical centre, we selected the patients who claimed to have medical conditions that made them unable to go to work regularly, or claimed the medication they received from their physicians was not effective enough for them to report to work place. They were, after consent, to be tested with BDORT to find out if they were telling the truth. None of them were familiar with BDORT.
Of those patients, 13 were known to have memory problems such as short memory, memory lapse, or forgetfulness or initial stage of Alzheimer's disease. Sometime they could not keep tract of the medication that they took or if the proper dosage was taken. Those patients were grouped into one group, whereas those with no memory problem (24 of them) were grouped to form the 2nd group for testing. For the purpose of this experiment, those patients who met the criteria of being for the test. Also for the 1st group, only those who lived with relative(s) who could verify accuracy of their statements were selected for the experiment. The truthfulness of their claims were to be confirmed by their physicians or the resident doctors during their physical examination.
To exclude possible false positive during Bi-Digital O-Ring from the prelude tests and questions Test, some prelude questions, proceeded to ensure relative accuracy of the tests, were imposed upon the test subjects*. Any one found inconsistent from the prelude tests and questions were excluded for further testing.
Some prelude questions were posed on those subjects. Both groups were asked: (1) Are you the President of the U.S.? (2) Did you attack the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001?
Those who were found compatible with any one of the four resident doctors and consistent with the O-Ring Test would be further questioned about their alleged medical conditions such as:
1) Your pain was so severe that you were unable to come to work.
2) You have taken the medications faithfully as instructed but found little effect or not much beneficial for your medical condition.
3) Your injury occurred at the work place that justified your application for Workman’s Compensation (eligible applications only).
4) Identify your pain loci (patient who use index finger of one hand formed the O-Ring to be tested)
5) You have exercised daily and have avoided high cholesterol diet such as shrimp, lobster, as well as other shellfish and red meat as instructed by your cardiologist (heart problem patient).
The person being tested will repeat the statement of question after saying “yes, I did” or “I am”,; or saying, “no, I did not”, or “I am not”, depending on the question asked. The tester will then check if the O-Ring of the person being tested would remain closed or open if lied. The same was done with all questions. The results from the data were calculated into percentage of how many with O-Ring closed if being honest, and how many with O-Ring open when lied.
RESULTS
We found 8 of the first group (those with memory difficulty) that during the test, their O-Ring were either only half, partially, or almost but not quite open and it was difficult to decide if it could be considered valid. Subsequently, we found, when we questioned them to verify their medical condition during O-Ring Test, most of them with history of forgetfulness or memory lapse often seemed confused or disoriented. We believe the patients wanted to tell the truth during the test but their memory problem became a serious factor that they were not quite sure themselves of the answers were correct. We depend on the family member or relative who lived with the patient to tell us the accuracy of the medical condition and the proper dose medication the patients had taken. The reliability of using O-Ring Test was only 62% with this group of patients, due to suitability issue of using O-Ring Test on these patients. Since the number of this category was small, we believe a further study is needed in future.
We also found, that the physical pain in two known cases of hypochondriasis (one in each group) could not be located consistently during physical findings or BDORT. The pain was at one spot at one time, and another time it was somewhere else. The pain loci shifted from one area to another not always located at the same area as the patient originally claimed. The patients were not consistent with their claim, and we could not conclude if they were truthful or lying. Those questionable cases were not complied into statistic calculations.
For the second group, we found 79% accuracy (19 out of 24) when they either lied or told the truth to their physician.
DISCUSSION
We have found that, in general, when people lied, their O-Ring would open, and when telling the truth their O-Rings opened or O-Ring remained closed or half closed when they told the truth or lied.
During the BDORT Testing, we found that some pain loci the patients claimed did not coincide with the O-Ring Test and the physical examination. On those cases, we concluded that the patients were not telling the truth, especially those who were malingerers. So far as the patients with Munchausen’s syndrome were concerned, the O-Ring Test did confirm their pain loci.** Since the O-Ring Test is not yet recognized by the law enforcement, by the American medical establishment, the result of O-Ring Test would be better served when it is interpreted with FACS and polygraph detectors. Furthermore, we found, whereas the O-Ring Test was not suitable for the patients with memory problem and the patients who were hypochondriac, it was relatively more reliable when it was used on the normal patients and the patients with Munchausen’s Syndrome and the malingerers.
The disadvantage of using BDORT for lie detection is that the person who is testing the liar must be O-Ring compatible with the person being tested, and one has to be sure that the liar is not familiar with the method so he would not manipulate the test by opening the O-Ring when it is supposed to be closed.
CONCLUSION
We considered the O-Ring Test has a potential use for lie detection as a complimental to other lie detection devices.
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