System Analysis of Experimenter-Determined and “Free” Lie-Producing Behavior

Abstract

Characteristics of system organization of behavior, including information hiding, can be revealed by analyzing the variability of an individual’s heart rate (HR), in particular by measures of entropy (E). There are different methods of polygraph lie testing, with varying degrees of validity. In some of them, the choice of information to withhold is determined by the experimenter; in others, it is determined by the subject. Previously, we conducted a study in which participants were asked to conceal autobiographical information, as determined by the experimenter, acquired at different stages of individual development. The nature of the change in EHR was found to depend on the type of information withheld. The aim of the present work was to identify the systematic provision of different types of information concealment behavior chosen for concealment by participants (40 individuals) undergoing polygraph testing themselves. They concealed information acquired at different stages of ontogenesis and belonging to different domains of experience. An increase in EHR during lying (p