Psychophysiological Tools in Criminal Interrogation

Abstract

Criminal investigations increasingly incorporate psychophysiological tools to assess stress responses, memory recall, cognitive load, and emotional arousal during interrogation. These tools include polygraph systems, EEG-based brainwave testing, functional neuroimaging, eye-tracking, voice-stress analysis, thermal imaging, and physiological stress monitoring. This article evaluates their scientific foundations, reliability, legal admissibility, and ethical implications. A conceptual framework, the Neuro-Interrogation Assessment Model (NIAM), is proposed to illustrate how biological signals interact with cognitive processes and interrogation environments. Findings indicate that psychophysiological tools detect arousal—not deception or guilt, and reliability decreases under trauma, neurodiversity, anxiety disorders, and power imbalance. The paper concludes that such tools should supplement evidence, not replace investigative rigor.