The FBI teaches you lie detection, people reading and intelligence skills

Chapter 41 Interrogation Skills (1): Extracting Information and Distinguishing the False ([-])
Extracting information is part of the interrogation.At this stage, all previous preparations and arrangements, such as what information to obtain, how to interrogate, what role to play, etc. will come in handy, and then through the identification of information, all the truth will gradually surface.

§§§ Section 12 [-] interrogation methods

"Method" means a method that can work for a specific person in a specific situation, and it should be flexibly manipulated according to the different expectations of the other party.The keywords for the four temperament types introduced earlier are very useful in determining which method to use.For example, if it is determined that the other person is a guardian type, then the keywords to describe him are very good, reliable and respectable, and he values ​​​​a sense of security.

Mental state is also an important consideration.For example, when it is known that a soldier is deeply fearful, insecure, and has a strong sense of self-confidence because of being captured, the interrogator can take advantage of his weaknesses to either make him more depressed, or try to comfort him, telling him, It wasn't his fault, he really did his best.Of course, no matter which method the interrogator takes, it is just to make him obey.This was determined in part by his behavior at the beginning of the interrogation.And interrogators usually don't just use a certain method alone, but use multiple methods in combination.

In the planning stage, which interrogation method to adopt is mainly judged based on the information at hand, such as the personality characteristics of the other party and personal intuition.With the deepening of the interrogation, the information can be further refined and the interrogation method adjusted according to the response of the other party.

Interrogation methods can be used not only as a tool for interrogators, but also as a tool for the interrogated party to protect itself.It's how Bond (whether as interrogator or captive) uses interrogation methods to gain an advantage.Below, we take a look at 12 different interrogation methods.

1. Straight to the point

In this way, the interrogator asks questions directly, without having to care about what role he plays, and without trying to arouse the other party's emotions.

2. Arouse emotion

Using people's love and dislike (such as friends, country, family, God, etc.), can quickly break through the other party's psychological defense.When the person being interrogated is an ethnic minority who is often oppressed or treated unfairly in their own country, interrogators often employ methods that incite hatred.

This method is also very suitable for a young man with a rebellious character, such as arousing his hatred of those rich old men when he is poor.Love is often used together with motivation, fear, etc., in a mixed way so that the person being interrogated can connect with and protect something or someone they love.

3. Reduce fear

When the other party feels very frightened and needs to be comforted, at this time, techniques to reduce fear, such as physical contact and comfort, can be used.

4. Strengthen fear

This can come in two forms: sharp and mild.What you see on TV is usually dramatic: screams, threats, fists pumping, menacing faces, etc.Usually the interrogator uses this method to intensify the pressure on the other party, while hiding his true intentions, so that the other party is gradually forced into the pre-set trap (the real purpose).

In everyday life, this is rarely done unless you are willing to do whatever it takes to get a confession or to end a relationship altogether.Sometimes, parents also use this method to their children. For example, the mother said: "Would you like to discuss it with Dad, or listen to me?"

5. Eliminate resistance
Fans of the TV sci-fi series "Star Trek" know the line: "Resistance is futile." It's also the Borg's mantra when trying to assimilate other species.This method is used to convince the opponent that resistance is pointless, but this is not necessarily the case when there are stronger forces influencing it.The method generally served to intensify the other's suspicions and to breed more suspicions, and to reinforce the impression that nothing he could do could reverse the fate of his captivity, and did nothing to improve the present situation.

6. Posture
Before interrogation, the interrogator obtains as much information as possible.Even if you know little, you have to pretend you know everything during interrogation.

7. Repeat
American interrogators rarely use this method.The interrogator only needs to ask the same question over and over again until the other party is annoyed, and immediately confesses to get everything done.Of course, this in itself is extremely boring for the interrogator, so it is necessary to take turns attacking with colleagues, or simply use a tape recorder.

The interrogator affects the physiological cycle of the person being interrogated by adjusting the indoor temperature, such as making the person being interrogated drowsy, and begins to ask repeatedly under hypnosis: "What's your name?" When the person falls asleep, he then repeatedly asks "What's your number?" After breaking through this level, the interrogator will follow the same pattern and ask which department the other party belongs to.The person being interrogated is usually unable to divulge such secrets, so he will refuse to answer, so the interrogator will still ask repeatedly until the other party succumbs.At this point, the interrogator might say, "Thank you for telling me about your department—the 43rd Infantry Regiment. Now that we've covered this, let's talk about your mission." They may think, "Did I tell him?" They may even come clean because they feel they've given away the secret and there's no need to keep it back.

8. Identify
If the interrogator has little or no background information about the other person, this tactic can help the interrogator get that information from the other person.The interrogator can tell the other person that he looks like a notorious person who is facing charges and even extreme punishment.In order to justify, the other party may reveal some information, from which the interrogator may be able to find clues about the other party's identity and mission.For example, the interrogator might start: "I happen to have a picture of you that does look a lot like you, and I can charge you (assuming a crime) for what happened last night." The respondent might respond: "No, no, I was drinking with some friends at the bar last night." The interrogator will then ask, "Which bar? Which friends?"

9. Incentive

Give the other person something that he needs very much, whether those things are real or imaginary.For example, it is human nature for food to have a stabilizing effect on a person in a stressful situation.Sleep and sex are also integral.

10. Praise or belittle

When complimenting the other person, it magnifies his ego, saying things like "I can't believe that someone as smart as you is just an ordinary soldier, your army is so blind."This approach usually works very well with smart people.Demeaning can sometimes be very effective if the interrogator knows the other person's weaknesses.An interrogator once used this tactic on a beautiful woman.However, the beauty herself knew that she was beautiful, so when the interrogator "mocked" her appearance, she didn't take it to heart.Usually, belittling doesn't work well with people who know their own weaknesses.

11. Silence
Silence is power. "Where were you this morning?" followed by a deathly silence that usually elicits a response.Most people are so uncomfortable with silence that they will speak to break the ice and possibly adjust their body position in a more dramatic way.

12. Lianzhu Cannon Questions

This requires the interrogator to ask questions continuously without giving the other party time to answer.When the other person is feeling overwhelmed, it is possible to answer a question aloud so that the interrogator can listen to him.The interrogator didn't care about the other party's answer at all, and accused him of meaningless answers, and didn't answer them all at all.

Continue to ask questions like a cannonball.When he can't stand it, he'll interrupt you and bark out some valuable information.This method works well for many interrogators.Once this method works and yields useful answers, the interrogator can speak at a normal rate.This trick is based on people's desire to be heard. It has higher requirements for the interrogator, and a series of questions must be prepared in advance.

§§§ Section [-] Use high-quality interrogation questions to wreak havoc on the other side
Interrogators generally want to make their questioning style consistent with the other person and the environment.Questions can be broadly grouped into the following categories: controlled, repetitive, direct, complex, and instructive.No matter what kind of problem it is, it generally needs to be used flexibly and comprehensively according to the situation.

Control questions are questions for which the interrogator knows the answer and are necessarily used when determining natural responses.Sometimes, although the interrogator maintains a natural communication style (like "Really? How could that be?"), the information extraction stage has already begun.People ask controlling questions mostly out of politeness.For example, you know your friend's mother is very ill, but you still ask, "How is your mother?" It's not very good, it makes him very worried.

A repeated question is when you are not sure whether the other person has answered your question honestly, so the interrogator asks the same question again in a different word.The more the interrogator repeatedly asked the same question, the easier it was to detect the lie and learn the truth.Every time you ask a question, you can take the opportunity to check the credibility of the other person's answer and observe their body language.If the other party answers different questions from the interrogator with exactly the same words, then there is reason to suspect that he is making up a story.By observing the changes in the other person's body, the interrogator should be able to find signs that the other person is uncomfortable because of lying.

Direct questions refer to directly asking others about information that they do not know.When determining natural responses, keep in mind that the interrogator is asking the question in order to elicit a declarative answer, not a simple "yes" or "no."However, at the stage of extracting information, direct questions may help the interrogator get the desired information, and it is very useful in controlling the content of the conversation.

Compound questions refer to two or more questions at the same time, for example, "Do you want to go to the department store or the airport?" The interrogator can use this kind of question to make the other party fall into your trap and make the other party Losing the ability to defend himself and allowing him to control his emotions pushes him to the brink.Another example, "Did you go to the party with her? Or did you put her in a taxi and take her home?" But this method should not be used by the interrogator because it will confuse the other party, but sometimes it is appropriate Using this kind of problem wisely will also produce unexpected effects.

Leading questions are typical of what journalists are used to.For example, "Do you think it is wrong for the president not to stand up and take responsibility for national security?" This is like asking "Do you think the president has not taken responsibility for national security?" If the answer is "Yes ", then it will lead to a question of whether it is right or wrong to emphasize that the president is not responsible for national security.Leading questions are extremely valuable in controlling the conversation.When the interrogator feels that the person he wants to ask is not thinking clearly, he can use leading questions to change his perspective.

As an interrogator, you need to ask questions of increasing complexity as you need to guide the other person into a deeper level of communication until he has said all he knows.To do this, you need to conduct in-depth research and ask questions that allow the other party to answer clearly and in detail.Questions that require only a "yes" or "no" answer do not serve this purpose.

No matter what industry the opponent is in, artillery, air force, or intelligence personnel, you have to be able to ask the bottom line and squeeze the last bit of information that the other party has.The interrogator has to be able to ask questions to the point of: "I can ask questions you can't answer, do you think you're so great?" .However, it can be observed at this time through his facial expressions, body language, and various other manifestations learned earlier.

It doesn't take a lot of effort to memorize things to achieve this effect.If asked about nuclear submarines, the interrogator will not spend much time learning about nuclear submarines, but will know enough useful knowledge to be able to ask some very technical questions, such as the thickness of the shell, the resonance of the metal, and so on.

Beyond that, other techniques of interrogation include:
Deliberately ask casual, seemingly irrelevant questions, but ultimately elicit the desired information.If the interrogator feels that deliberate design will not work, this is a pretty good choice.

Whatever kind of question you ask, please think twice.If you want to ask a lot of questions, but you're not ready, think it through!

(End of this chapter)