Statement Analysis & Verbal Behavior Flashcards

A suspect's statement about an assault contains 600 words about events before the incident, 80 words about the assault itself, and 500 words about events afterward. This distribution is MOST consistent with:

Answer: Possible minimization or avoidance of the critical event

An unusually brief account of the critical event compared to surrounding content (expected proportion ~50% of statement) may indicate the subject is avoiding commitment to verifiable details about the core incident.

A subject is asked 'Did you take the money?' and responds, 'I am an honest person who has worked here for fifteen years.' According to statement analysis, this response is BEST characterized as:

Answer: An evasive non-denial that addresses character rather than the specific act

Responding to a direct accusation by speaking to character rather than directly denying the specific act is an evasive non-denial, as it avoids committing to an answer about the alleged conduct.

An analyst reviewing a statement notes the subject uses past tense throughout the account except when describing one specific segment where they shift to present tense. This tense change MOST likely indicates:

Answer: Possible heightened emotional engagement or psychological significance in that segment

Tense shifts—especially moving from past to present tense mid-narrative—can indicate areas of heightened psychological engagement, strong emotion, or possibly rehearsed content that the subject re-experiences rather than recalls.

A subject states: 'I may have accidentally bumped into her, but I would never intentionally harm anyone.' Which component of this statement warrants the most analytical attention?

Answer: The qualifier 'intentionally' implicitly leaves open the possibility of unintentional harm

The qualifier 'intentionally' narrows the denial to purposeful harm only, implicitly acknowledging that unintentional harm may have occurred—a significant hedge that an innocent person would rarely include.

A subject's statement contains multiple unprompted character references such as 'I'm a very caring person' and 'I've always been honest in everything I do.' In statement analysis, this pattern is MOST consistent with:

Answer: A possible attempt to compensate for a lack of factual event details

Truthful subjects typically focus statements on recounting events; excessive self-characterization may indicate a subject is compensating for an inability or unwillingness to provide verifiable factual details.

During a statement analysis review, an examiner finds that a subject uses the victim's name freely throughout the account except in three passages where they switch to 'the victim.' This pattern is MOST analytically significant because:

Answer: The depersonalization in those passages may signal psychological discomfort with those events

Shifting from a personal name to a depersonalized term like 'the victim' can reflect increased psychological distancing in specific areas, warranting closer investigative attention to those segments.

Which of the following best describes the appropriate role of statement analysis in a forensic investigation?

Answer: Statement analysis is one investigative tool among many and should not be the sole basis for conclusions

Statement analysis is a supplemental investigative tool; its findings should be corroborated by other evidence, and no single technique should serve as the sole basis for conclusions about deception or truthfulness.