Cross-modal physiological effects of electrodermal lability in the detection of deception

This study examined the effects of individual differences in electrodermal lability on cardiovascular, respiratory, and electrodermal responses (EDRs) in the detection of deception. One Day 1 each of 74 subjects rested quietly for 3 min. while skin conductance was recorded. Electrodermal lability was scored for each subject, those giving frequent nonspecific EDRs being labiles and those giving few being stabiles. On Day 2, usually 1 week later, 40 of the subjects attempted to deceive a professional polygraph examiner in a field-type test. The 34 remaining subjects attempted to convince the examiner, who was blind as to each subject's condition, that they were indeed being truthful. Deception by stabile subjects was detected less frequently than was deception by labile subjects. Among truthful subjects, the more labile were falsely detected as deceptive on more questions than were their stabile counterparts. Although accuracy of detection was greatest with the EDR, the effects of lability on detection were similar for electrodermal, cardiovascular, and respiratory measures. Labiles also had a higher heart rate during the polygraph test than did stabiles.