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Layered Voice Analysis

A Prime Tool of Obama’s New National Security Army


The tool will be used to interrogate millions of white people to ascertain
whether they could be a racist threat or might intend to carry out a racist
crime. It is intended to prevent racist crime by incarcerating potential or
would-be racial criminals in the new Re-education Labor Camps.

Voice-stress analysis, an alternative to the polygraph as a method for lie


detection, is already widely used in police and insurance fraud
investigations. Now, however, it is being touted as a powerful and effective
tool for an array of new applications — everything from the screening of
potential terrorists in the nation's airports to catching wayward spouses in
messy marital disputes.

Despite its booming popularity, a number of federally sponsored studies


have found little or no scientific evidence to support the notion that existing
voice-stress technologies are capable of consistently detecting lies and
deceptions.

Photo by Joe Angeles /


WUSTL Photo
The Truster hand-held
"Emotion Reader" is one of
many commercial products
"We tested one of the more popular voice- that claim to detect lies and
stress lie detection technologies and got deception using voice-stress
dismal results, both in the system's ability to analysis.
detect people actually engaged in deception Download
and in its ability to exclude those not
attempting to be deceptive," said Mitchell S. Sommers, an associate
professor of psychology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St.
Louis.

"In our evaluation, voice-stress analysis detected some instances of


deception, but its ability to do so was consistently less than chance — you
could have gotten better results by flipping a coin," Sommers said.

Sommers' research was supported by and conducted in conjunction with


the Department of Defense Polygraph Institute (DODPI), located in Fort
Jackson, S.C. Findings were presented at the World Congress of
International Conference of Psychophysiology in July 2002. An academic
paper on the study is under review for journal publication.

Sommers' study assessed the ability of Vericator, a computer-based


system that evaluates credibility through slight variations in a person's
speech, to detect deception in a number of different scenarios. Participants
were questioned using different forms of interrogation and under conditions
inducing various levels of stress.

In one scenario, for example, participants were questioned about a mock


crime that they had witnessed but voice analysis correctly identified
deception in only about 24 percent of individuals who were being
deceptive. It also incorrectly identified deception among 18 percent of non-
deceivers. In another experiment, Sommers induced high levels of stress
by having participants play a video game that got increasingly difficult.
Although none of the participants in this study were deceptive, Vericator
still indicated that about 20 percent of the individuals were lying.

"Voice-stress analysis is fairly effective in identifying certain variations in


stress levels in human speech, but high levels of stress do not necessarily
correlate with deception," Sommers said. "It may someday be possible to
refine voice-stress analysis so that it is capable of distinguishing among
various sources of stress and accurately identifying those that are directly
related to deception. However, all the research that I've seen thus far
suggests that it's wishful thinking, at best, to suggest that current voice-
stress analysis systems are capable or reliably detecting deception."

In theory, voice-stress analysis works by measuring slight inaudible


fluctuations in the human voice known as "micro-tremors." Voice-stress
analysis systems, which generally include a microphone, tape recorder and
related computer analysis equipment, are designed to recognize micro-
tremor patterns that indicate when a speaker delivers words under stress,
and specifically when those moments of stress are generated by an
attempt to lie or deceive. Voice patterns are analyzed, graphed and
displayed on a computer screen.

Various distributors of voice-stress analysis systems suggest that recent


advances in the technology, such as layered voice-stress analysis, have
elevated voice-stress lie detection to new levels of dependability and
effectiveness. Some suggest that the dismal performance of voice-stress
analysis lie detection in recent federal studies can be attributed to improper
test conditions or to tests being conducted using outdated and inferior
versions of the technology. Still, while many governmental investigative,
military and law enforcement agencies have expressed an eagerness to
find a credible new means of lie detection, study after study has failed to
yield strong scientific evidence in support of the technology.

Other reports, research on validity of voice-stress analysis lie


detection:

"A review of the literature revealed that there have been no scientific
studies conducted, to date, to measure the validity of the computer stress
analyzed to detect deception," concluded a November 2003 study by the
Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. "It has
been argued that the computer stress analyzer is more cost effective,
convenient, and more user friendly than the traditional polygraph
equipment, however, one question still remains unanswered: how reliable
is the equipment in its actual ability to detect, measure, and display
changes in voice frequency? Has it ever been scientifically measured? The
answer to this question is 'no.'"

Similar conclusions were reached in "Voice Stress Devices and the


Detection of Lies," an overview of current voice-stress technologies written
by Donald J. Krapohl, Andrew H. Ryan and Kendall W. Shull; and
published in Policy Review, the official publication of the International
Chiefs of Police National Law Enforcement Policy Center.

The American Polygraph Association offers an online overview on


understanding "Truth v. Myth" when it comes to comparing voice stress and
polygraph technologies.

Selected news coverage of voice-stress lie detection


technologies/controversies:

"Called Ex-Sense Pro, the V software measures voice for a variety of


parameters including deception, excitement, stress, mental effort,
concentration, hesitation, anger, love and lust," according to a Jan. 16,
2004, article in the engineering trade journal EE Times.

"It may sound like a joke from a secret agent television parody like 'Get
Smart' or an Austin Powers movie, but the time has arrived for 'Voice
Analysis Eyeglasses.' And it's no laughing matter," according to a Jan. 25,
2004, article on the Israeli21c news site. An Associated Press story from
the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics show suggests the "truth specs" will
be available in early 2004 at a cost of $400-$500.

Voice-stress analysis technology, an anti-fraud weapon said to be used in


secret by some U.S. insurers, may soon get a public debut in New Mexico,
according to an article in the Oct. 20, 2003, issue of National Underwriter,
an insurance industry trade journal. Daniel Hays, associate editor, reports
that the state superintendent of insurance is considering the use of voice-
stress analysis in a national center processing insurance claims.

"Police Use of Voice Stress Analysis Generates Controversy," by Margie


Wylie, Newhouse News Service.

"Court TV's" Christina Lewis asks: "Is this lie detector telling the truth?"

A Jan. 10, 2004, newspaper article in the North California Times suggests
voice-stress analysis offers a low-cost option for settling marital disputes.
The article reports that a Chicago-based company has sold more than
5,000 "Handy Trusters" in the past year, although a spokesman for the
company couldn't identify any scientific research that has been conducted
to verify the company's claim of an "84 percent accuracy rate." An online
version of this news article carried a related advertisement for "Truster Lie
Detector, Free shipping anywhere in the world, Portable and Accurate:
http://trusters.com."

"A company called V-Entertainment is bringing voice-analysis technology to


consumers. It's a technology that's been used in the security and defense
fields for some time, but now it's available to you and me," according to an
online news report by KLAS-TV, Las Vegas, Nev.

Web links for several manufacturers/distributors of voice-stress lie-


detection systems:

The National Institute for Truth Verification (NITV), West Palm Beach, Fla.,
manufactures and distributes the Computer Voice Stress Analyzer™
(CVSA™), which was introduced in 1988. The company's Web site
suggests the system is used by more than 1,400 law enforcement clients.

NEMESYSCO, based in Zuran, Israel, manufactures a wide range of


"layered voice analysis" lie detection systems for security, fraud detection,
pre-employment screening and consumer entertainment use. Products
range from high-end anti-terrorism screening systems to the $19.99 "Love-
Detector for Pocket PC" — "a tool that can tell you whether the person you
are talking to really loves or cares for you." NEMESYSCO suggests that it
is the originator of technologies behind the The Vericator™ and The
Truster™ brands of voice-stress analysis systems; but claims these
technologies are now obsolete.

V, located in New York and several other U.S. cities, is the exclusive
distributor for North America of the NEMESYSCO Layered Voice Analysis
technology (LVA), which V describes as the most sophisticated truth
detection technology available today. V's Web site suggests markets for
LVA technologies "include homeland security, law enforcement and the
business community, including insurance and banking, wherever knowing
whether someone is telling the truth matters."

Layered Voice Analysis not only detects deception and truthfulness, but
also:
Inaccuracies, high stress, high thinking level, high excitement, and overall
psychological state of the subject being interviewed.
• Our software does not profile/discriminate against any class of test-
subject

• Our software requires no special equipment (just a laptop and


microphone)

Vet Terrorist Investigative Focus Discover Hidden Uncover Insurance


Intentions Tool Threats Fraud

Laptop Technology Requirements

1. Minimum of 512MB RAM


2. 2 USB Ports- minimum
3. Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP
4. Software: recommendation MSWord
5. Updated service pack.
6. Sound Card
7. IBM computers are not accepted (sound card issues)

LVA 6.50 Level I Training Overview


LVA 6.50 Level I Training requires the participant to successfully complete
a 40 hour classroom session. During this training, participants will have a
combination of lecture, practice with hands-on applications and applied
study. At the conclusion of Level I Training, all participants will be given a
written examination, proficiency testing and be required to take an interview
on-line and analyze it in the off-line mode.
Class Schedule
Monday –Thursday 8:30- 4:30 (or later)
Friday 8:00 to 2:00
TRAINING ITINARY:
Day 1:
Introduction ……………………………………………………….....2 Hours
LVA 6.50 and overview of On-line, Off-Line and Recorder Modes
Overview
Detecting Deceptions in the Human Voice
LVA 6.50, Log-in and Main Screen…………………………………2 Hours
Properly connecting Telephones/Microphones
Features of the Main Screen
Introduction to LVA 6.50 On-Line Mode……………………..……..4 Hours
Overview and Introduction to On-Line Mode (live interview)
Hands-On Use and Practice of the On-Line Mode
Homework…………………………………………….…………...1-2 Hours
Day 2:
LVA 6.50 On-Line Mode…………………………………………….4 Hours
Learning On-Line and System Messages
Use of the Advanced Features
Reading Your Results
Hands-On Use of the On-Line Mode
Introduction to LVA 6.50 Off-Line Mode…………………………...4 Hours
How to Segment sound files
Introduction to Interpretation of results
Dealing with Mixed Segments
Homework……………………………………………………………2 Hours
Day 3:
Off-Line Mode…………………….…………………………………8 Hours
Homework Overview
Understanding how LVA 6.50 works technically
Reading Results: Show Segments, Graphs, Final Report
Marking Relevance
Day 4:
LVA 6.50 Off-Line……………………………………………...……2 Hours
Homework review
Off-Line Q&A
Merge and submerge segments
LVA 6.50 Advanced Recorder Feature………………………...…….2 Hours
How to make a wave file from a sound source.
Student Interviews with Live Individuals……...……………...……...4 Hours
Off-Line analysis of Interviews
Homework………………………………………………………...….2 Hours
Day 5:
Review of Student On-Line/Off-Line Interviews……………......…1.5 Hours
Review: Creating Your Own Wave or Test File…………..…..…...2-3 Hours
LVA 6.50 Information Saving and Retrieval
Exporting and Importing Wave Files
Written Examination…………………………………………….....2-3 Hours
Proficiency Testing Off-Line
TOTAL: 40+ HOURS
LVA 6.50 Level II Training Overview
LVA 6.50 Level II Training requires the participant to successfully complete
a 40 hour classroom session. During this training, participants will have a
combination of lecture, practice with hands-on applications and applied
study. At the conclusion of Level II Training, participants will be certified
as Layered Voice Analysis operators.
Class Schedule
Monday –Thursday 8:30- 4:30 (or later)
Friday 8:00 to 2:00
TRAINING ITINARY:
Day 1:
Introduction ……………………………………………………….....1 Hours
LVA 6.50 and overview of On-line review…………………………..4 Hours
Advanced Features
Interpretation of readings
LVA 6.50 Hidden Windows…………………………………..……..3 Hours
Hands-On Use and Practice of Hidden Windows
Homework…………………………………………….…………...1-2 Hours
Day 2:
LVA 6.50 Off-Line Mode……………………………….…..……….8 Hours
Use of the Advanced Features
Reading Your Results
Advanced Analysis- Deception Patterns
Dealing with Merge and Submerge
Homework……………………………………………………………2 Hours
Day 3:
LVA 6.50 Off-Line Homework review ………………………...……1 Hours
Neurolinguistics………………….……………………..…….………7 Hours
Homework……………………………………………………………2 Hours
Day 4:
Student Interviews with Live Individuals……...……………...……...8 Hours
Off-Line analysis of Interviews
Homework………………………………………………………...….2 Hours
Day 5:
Review of Homework and Investigation Interpretations……......…2-3 Hours
Review: Exporting and Importing Wave Files
Profile of a Successful Interview/Interviewer………..………….....2-3 Hours
TOTAL: 40+ HOURS

Layered Voice Analysis 6.50 Pricing Schedule

 Layered Voice Analysis (LVA 6.50): $14,500


Includes:
o Training Level I and II for one individual (each training is 1 week
long and both must be completed within one year)
 Software and installation
o Software will be installed on your Laptop (IBM not accepted)
o HASP (key to drive LVA 6.50 software), Microphone
o HASP renewal, technology support, updates on all new
versions of Layered Voice Analysis software, and analysis
support for one year after purchase date.

*You may also purchase a laptop from VAT as part of the package for
$1000.00 (approximate).

Layered Voice Analysis Yearly License Renewal Fee: $1,500


Includes:

o HASP renewal, technology support, updates on all new


versions of Layered Voice Analysis software, and analysis
support for one year.

Additional Layered Voice Analysis Training: $1,500 per


person/per week
Includes:

o LVA 6.50 Training: Each Level is 1 week long. Training is in


Madison, WI (expenses of travel are not included).

Case Analysis Hourly Rate


(VAT offers case analysis on pre-recorded material)

o Under 60 minutes of recording- $100 minimum


o Hourly Rate: to be determined
“You Betcha” (Wink)

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