The dirty little secret behind the polygraph is that the "test" depends on trickery, not science. The person being "tested" is not supposed to know that while the polygraph operator declares that all questions must be answered truthfully, warning that the slightest hint of deception will be detected, he secretly assumes that denials in response to certain questions -- called "control" questions -- will be less than truthful. An example of a commonly used control question is, "Did you ever lie to get out of trouble?" The polygrapher steers the examinee into a denial by warning, for example, that anyone who would do so is the same kind of person who would commit the kind of behavior that is under investigation and then lie about it. But secretly, it is assumed that everyone has lied to get out of trouble.

The polygraph pens don't do a special dance when a person lies. The polygrapher scores the test by comparing physiological responses (breathing, blood pressure, heart, and perspiration rates) to these probable-lie control questions with reactions to relevant questions such as, "Did you ever commit an act of espionage against the United States?" (commonly asked in security screening). If the former reactions are greater, the examinee passes; if the latter are greater, he fails. If responses to both "control" and relevant questions are about the same, the result is deemed inconclusive.

The test also includes irrelevant questions such as, "Are the lights on in this room?" The polygrapher falsely explains that such questions provide a "baseline for truth," because the true answer is obvious. But in reality, they are not scored at all! They merely serve as buffers between pairs of relevant and "control" questions.

The simplistic methodology used in polygraph testing has no grounding in the scientific method: it is no more scientific than astrology or tarot cards. Government agencies value it because people who don't realize it's a fraud sometimes make damaging admissions. But as a result of reliance on this voodoo science, the truthful are often falsely branded as liars while the deceptive pass through.

Perversely, the "test" is inherently biased against the truthful, because the more honestly one answers the "control" questions, and as a consequence feels less stress when answering them, the more likely one is to fail. Conversely, liars can beat the test by covertly augmenting their physiological reactions to the "control" questions. This can be done, for example, by doing mental arithmetic, thinking exciting thoughts, altering one's breathing pattern, or simply biting the side of the tongue. Truthful persons can also use these techniques to protect themselves against the risk of a false positive outcome. Although polygraphers frequently claim they can detect such countermeasures, no polygrapher has ever demonstrated any ability to do so, and peer-reviewed research suggests that they can't.

Educate yourself. Before playing Russian roulette with your reputation, learn how to protect yourself against this invalid test. Download AntiPolygraph.org's free book:

The Lie Behind the Lie Detector

Polygraph Countermeasure Challenge Clock On 28 January 2002, retired FBI polygraph expert Dr. Drew C. Richardson reiterated his challenge to the polygraph community to prove their claimed ability to detect countermeasures (techniques for passing -- or beating -- the polygraph). This clock figure shows the number of weeks Dr. Richardson's challenge has gone without takers. What are the polygraph operators afraid of? (Listen to a personal message from Dr. Richardson.)

353 weeks

Ironic Humor in American Polygraph Association Crapshoot Challenge Coin
An APA commemorative medallion bears an ironically appropriate motif.

San Diego Police Department Polygraph = HORRIBLE Experience
Well I took a polygraph for the SDPD on the 4th and it was the worst experience ever. I went into it a little nervous just because it was a polygraph but I figured I would just tell the truth and I'd be alright. I actually believed in the science and that lie detectors worked because if they didn’t why would so many places use them right?

El Paso Police Chief Calls Polygraph a "Piece of Junk"
Speaking in unusually blunt terms for a senior law enforcement official, El Paso, Texas chief of police Greg Allen has decried the polygraph as a "piece of junk," while El Paso Municipal Police Officers Association president Bobby Holguin has pronounced it "garbage."

Personal Statement of an Anonymous NSA Applicant
...I was sent back to one of the polygraph rooms for examination. I was asked the espionage questions and then the serious crime questions, but apparently I am a spy because I could not pass the espionage question....

Polygrapher John Grogan Sues Polygraphers Joseph Paolella, Jack Trimarco, and Ralph Hilliard
On 30 May 2008, polygrapher John L. Grogan of Woodland Hills, California filed a lawsuit against fellow Los Angeles area polygraphers Joseph Paolella and Jack Trimarco as well as PolygraphPlace.com and TruthAboutGrogan.org proprietor Ralph Hilliard of Canton, Georgia. Twenty "Does" are also included among the defendants. Grogan seeks damages in excess of one million dollars from each of the defendants for defamation....

Pittsburgh Police Seek to Polygraph McCain Campaign Volunteer Ashley Todd Regarding Assault
The story of Ashley Todd, a McCain campaign volunteer from College Station, Texas who reported that in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a mugger scratched a letter "B" into her face after seeing a McCain bumper sticker on her car, received national attention after it was highlighted on the right-leaning political website, the Drudge Report....

Fairfax County, Virginia Police Polygraph
I recently passed the Fairfax County, Virginia Police Polygraph using the techniques on this site and I thought I would share my experience to help others get through this unfair ordeal. I do not believe that the polygraph is scientifically valid. This method for choosing job applicants reminds me of something out of a medieval witch trial but if you want to be a cop in Fairfax County you have to try it and hope for the best. I knew the polygraph was bs from the start....

ATF Agents Beat the Polygraph to Infiltrate Mongols Motorcycle Gang
The Associated Press reports that four agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) who infiltrated the Mongols motorcycle gang had to first pass a lie detector test by a private detective...

Polygraph Operator Daniel E. Sosnowski Makes a Killing in Iraq
Polygraphy may be bullshit, but it can be highly lucrative bullshit for those with the right connections.

Missouri Firefighters Ordered to Submit to Polygraph "Testing" or Face Termination
...A case in Normandy, Missouri showcases the need for a Comprehensive Employee Polygraph Protection Act to eliminate the loopholes in the current law. Firefighters are being compelled to submit to lie detector "tests" -- a notoriously unreliable procedure that is without scientific basis -- or face termination...

Drew Peterson Took Polygraph for New Book
Former police officer Drew Peterson, whose wife, Stacy, went missing last year, has submitted to polygraph "testing" regarding her disappearance as well as the death of his previous wife, Kathleen Savio.

Court Order Compelling Disclosure of Electronic Information in McCarthy v. Moore
On 11 September 2008, AntiPolygraph.org received by fax an "Order Granting Plaintiff Joseph Lawrence McCarthy, Individually and Doing Business as Fenian Polygraph Services' Motion to Compel Disclosure of Electronic Information" in Tarrant County, Texas civil case No. 048-228282-08 (McCarthy v. Moore et al.)...

After 23 years of service my job is jeopardy!
I have held a TS/SCI clearance for over 23 years at a certain department of defense agency in the Baltimore area. I had to pass a polygraph to get the job, and I have been passing them successfully every 5 years as part of my reinvestigation.... until now. I am now in the middle of my lastest reinvestigation and have just failed my forth polygraph test in this latest process....

FBI Polygraphed Nathan Johnson, Suspect/Informant in Possible Obama Assassination Plot
WCBS-TV reports that the FBI has conducted a polygraph interrogation of Nathan Johnson, who was arrested on Monday, 25 August 2008 along with Tharin Gartrell and Shawn Robert Adolf. From a detention facility, Johnson spoke with WCBS reporter Brian Maass...

DIA to Expand and Outsource Polygraph Screening
Associated Press writer Pamela Hess reports on the Defense Intelligence Agency’s scheme to greatly expand polygraph screening of its personnel. It should be noted that Ana Belen Montes, the most notorious spy ever to infiltrate the DIA, was neither detected nor deterred by polygraph screening...

 

 

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