BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS
INTERVIEW
Professor Lou Natali
ESTABLISH A BASELINE
• To evaluate normal response
system
PURPOSE
• Do you understand the purpose
of this interview?
• Direct responses are indicative
of innocence.
• denials of knowledge are
considered evasive.
GENERAL INVESTIGATIVE INFO
• To learn an alibi or a relationship
questions should be broad.
– e.g. cover the whole day, not
just the time of the crime. not
just the time of the crime.
– The guilty will have a
rehearsed alibi for a specific
time.
MIX INVESTIGATIVE QUESTIONS WITH
BEHAVIOR
• Provoking Questions
– include question did you do it?
– This may often catch the
deceptive subject off guard.
WATCH FOR DECEPTIVE VERBAL
RESPONSES
• Which are “bolstered, delayed, or
evasive.”
• Nonverbal revealing responses
include crossing legs, shifting in
chair, or “grooming behavior.”
• Follow denial with “do you know who
committed the crime?”
• Evasive subject will distance self
geographically and emotionally and will
answer without giving the subject much
thought.
• Truthful subject will spend time thinking
about who might be guilty.
• Innocent subject “will sound sincere” and
have given previous thought to the
question.
WHO DO YOU SUSPECT?
• Truthful will supply names
• Deceptive will generally deny
having and suspicions.
WHO CAN YOU VOUCH FOR AS INNOCENT?
• Innocent will readily clear
suspects
• Deceptive “might be
noncommittal.” because the
guilty do not want to eliminate
others from suspicion.
WAS THERE A CRIME?
• Innocent will agree.
• Deceptive will seize the chance
to confuse the investigation.
WHO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO IT?
• Truthful will include self.
• Guilty does not like to point
finger at self and will name
unrealistic suspects.
ATTITUDE
• Innocent welcome the
questioning.
• Guilty voice negative feelings
about being a suspect.
EVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT, FANTASIZE
DREAM ABOUT IT.
• Guilty want to talk about it to
relieve anxiety.
• Truthful typically reject any
possibility.
MOTIVE QUESTIONS
• Why would someone do it?
– Innocent will offer reasonable
ideas as to why.
– Deceptive and guilty know why
they did it and refuse to
speculate.
WHAT WOULD BE AN APPROPRIATE
PUNISHMENT?
• Second Chance
– Guilty has difficulty discussing
punishment and is likely to give
a second chance.
– Innocent will call for jail and
reject the idea of a second
chance.
WILL YOU BE CLEARED OF THIS?
• Innocent express confidence.
Refer to this personally.
• The guilty will give one word
responses. E.g. “cleared.”
• And respond in the third person
and to future consequences.
FINAL QUESTION
• What have you said to your family? It is
human nature to tell loved ones to seek
solace and comfort.
• It is very “suspicious” not to tell loved
ones.
• And if they did tell, guilty will play down
family reaction.
• The innocent will have discussed the
question at length.
• Did family member ask about guilt? If yes
this means they perceive it as possible.
The “Confession” of Michael Crowe