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Do Polygraph Tests Detect Lies?
Do polygraph tests, also known
as lie detector tests, really work? If you want the yes or no
answer that is closest to the truth, it is NO! Of course they
sometimes "work," since much of the time they are used
to scare people into confessions or admissions of guilt. But
they are very unreliable as a way of detecting lies.
After 9/11, the polygraph failure
rate went to 50% for agent applicants at the FBI. Did liars suddenly
start applying for jobs? No, but the testers were instructed
to read the tests differently. Unfortunately this meant throwing
out some honest people with the few dishonest ones. Imagine what
this would do to your future. For all of their lives these mostly
innocent people will have a record of a failed FBI polygraph
following them. Think about that before agreeing to take such
a test.
Most scientists now agree that
polygraph "testing" is junk science. In fact, John
Larson, one of the pioneers of polygraphic lie detection, says
"I'm sorry I ever had any part in it's development."
The test is valued by governments and others because it is useful
for getting damaging admissions from people, especially those
who don't know that the test is a sham.
How about others who might
have an obvious interest in such a test. What do they say?
"[The CIA's] reliance
on the polygraph is truly insane." That was from former
CIA Director John M. Deutch.
"...the use of this highly
flawed instrument should be radically curtailed." That was
from former CIA Director R. James Woolsey.
Unfortunately, the test is
actually biased against the truthful. This is because the more
honestly one answers the "control" questions, the more
likely one is to fail. Meanwhile, hardened criminals have proven
they can lie throughout the test without detection.
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to pass a lie detector test.
In fact, there isn't even agreement
among believers in the polygraph as to why it works. There are
three common theories. The first is that a subject reacts when
questions that strike sensitive areas, whether he is telling
the truth or not. This theory would indicate that your nervousness
(natural under the circumstances, right) might be taken as dishonesty.
The second theory is the theory
of conflict. It supposes that a measurable physiologic disturbance
takes place when a subject is caught between a habitual inclination
to tell the truth and a strong desire not to admit to certain
actions of facts. Some researchers think that if this concept
is valid, it is only when conflict is intense. Of course habitual
liars may be measured as honest in this case.
The most accepted theory is
the threat-of-punishment theory. It says that a large physiologic
response accompanies lying because a subject fears consequences
for failing to deceive the operator. In other words, a subjects
own fear of failing is what causes the response. The problem
that many researchers note is that one who does not fear the
results of his failure should not produce measurable responses.
Experts argue about why the
polygraph works, scientists call it junk science, pioneers in
the field regret their involvement in its development, and CIA
officials think it is unreliable. Does the polygraph test or
"lie detector test," work? It is clear that it does
not work with any consistency.
It can be dangerous to your
freedom and reputation to take it - even if you have nothing
to hide.
Excerpted from: How To
Beat The Lie Detector Test. For the specific countermeasures
you can take to pass a polygraph test, see my ebook here:
http://www.99Reports.com/lie-detector-test.html.
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