Statement Analysis & Verbal Behavior Flashcards

In verbal behavior analysis, 'paralinguistic cues' include which of the following?

Answer: Voice quality, pitch, rate of speech, and pauses

Paralinguistic cues are the non-verbal aspects of speech—including tone, pitch, pace, volume, and pauses—that convey meaning beyond the literal words used.

Cognitive load theory applied to deception research suggests that deceptive individuals may exhibit:

Answer: Slower speech, longer pauses, and shorter responses

Cognitive load theory holds that fabricating a false account demands greater mental resources than recalling a true one, which may manifest as slower speech, increased pauses, and less detailed responses.

A subject consistently uses first-person pronouns throughout their statement but drops them in two specific passages, describing actions in passive voice instead. This pattern MOST likely indicates:

Answer: Possible psychological distancing from those specific events or actions

Dropping first-person pronouns in favor of passive constructions creates psychological distancing and is a recognized statement analysis indicator of potential deception or discomfort with specific events.

The Statement Validity Assessment (SVA) methodology is composed of which three components?

Answer: Structured interview, CBCA, and a Validity Checklist

SVA consists of a structured interview to obtain the statement, Criteria-Based Content Analysis (CBCA) to evaluate its content, and a Validity Checklist to rule out alternative explanations.

When a subject refers to another individual with a pronoun throughout their statement but switches to using that person's first name in two specific passages, this change MOST likely reflects:

Answer: Heightened emotional significance or psychological closeness in those passages

Changes in how a subject refers to another person can signal shifts in psychological proximity or emotional significance; using a name where a pronoun was used suggests heightened engagement in that area.

In statement analysis, 'outsider terminology'—referring to oneself in the third person when recounting personal actions—is MOST often associated with:

Answer: Psychological distancing from the events or actions described

Using third-person self-references (e.g., 'John didn't mean to do it' when John is the speaker) creates psychological distance between the subject and their actions, often signaling discomfort or deception.

In CBCA, the 'superfluous details' criterion refers to:

Answer: Extraneous information volunteered beyond what was asked, suggesting genuine recall

Superfluous details are extraneous information a subject volunteers beyond the scope of the question, considered a positive credibility indicator because fabricators typically stick to their prepared narrative.