Question Formulation Flashcards
7 cards from real CPE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Question Formulation flashcards as text
In a polygraph examination, a 'sacrifice relevant' question is used primarily to:
Answer: Reduce the impact of an orienting response to the first relevant question
A sacrifice relevant question absorbs the heightened orienting response that typically occurs at the start of a series, so that subsequent relevant questions yield cleaner data.
Which characteristic is MOST important when constructing a comparison question for a Directed Lie Test (DLT)?
Answer: The examinee must be instructed to lie when answering it
In a DLT, the examiner instructs the subject to deliberately lie on the comparison question, providing a known-lie physiological standard for comparison.
A relevant question that asks 'Did you steal any money from your employer at any time during the past ten years?' is problematic because it:
Answer: Covers an excessively broad time frame that may introduce extraneous concerns
Overly broad time references can trigger anxiety in innocent examinees who worry about forgotten minor infractions, reducing diagnostic accuracy.
During question review, the examinee denies involvement in the relevant issue. How should the examiner handle this information?
Answer: Adjust the relevant questions to reflect the denial and strengthen their specificity
Refining question wording based on the examinee's pre-test statements increases question clarity and ensures the subject fully understands what is being asked.
The term 'outside issue' in polygraph question formulation refers to:
Answer: A concern unrelated to the examination issue that may contaminate physiological responses
Outside issues are personal concerns (health worries, relationship stress) that can produce physiological reactivity unrelated to the examination target, distorting results.
Which of the following BEST describes the 'you' principle in relevant question construction?
Answer: Using 'you' ensures the question is behaviorally specific to the examinee rather than general
Phrasing relevant questions in second person ('Did you…') anchors accountability to the individual examinee, preventing deflection and improving diagnostic clarity.
A symptomatic question such as 'Do you believe I will ask you a question on this test that we have not reviewed?' is designed to:
Answer: Identify examinees who are concealing relevant information or fear surprise questions
Symptomatic questions probe for undisclosed concerns or fear of test manipulation that could contaminate physiological responses on the primary relevant questions.