I have printed out the lie behind the lie detector.  I cannot respond at this time, lots of reading material.  Once completed I will try to respond in a sensible manner.  I did look on this site and find several studies reported to validate the polygraph, and have not had time to read those either.  May be I will support your conclusions.  Have to do a lot of reading first and have limited time.  Thanks for the advice.

thevet2,

You might also want to check out the 2002 National Academy of Sciences report regarding government use of pre-employment polygraph screening. It's an independent, unbiased scientific study--also found on this site or through any search engine. Be leery of studies funded by the polygraph community--nothing but propaganda to further this junk science. Always consider the source--ask yourself what the entity has to gain from the study? You shouldn't feel bad about not knowing much about this invalid testing procedure. I didn't either until I took a poly, told the truth and failed. I would say most people, until they know better, believe the polygraph is accurate.

checking wrote on Apr 1^st, 2005 at 2:17am:


At least here ALL are welcome to post their views either for or against the poly.  Here they can slam the posters against (including George) or slam the examiners.  Unlike the "pro poly" sites where you would be banned if you disagreed with their views.
Just one example of things that make you go Hmmmm.

How come both sides can post here but only one side can post on the other? ??? 

I recently took a polygraph for employment with the FBI. I saw this site prior to taking the exam. I took my exam, and Passed. I was completely honest, and didn't have any problems answering the examiners questions. The questions were thoroughly explained, and each part of the exam was conducted in a professional manner. I am NOT an examiner, but after my experience with the polygraph, I must admit that it is not something to be worried about. I was extremely nervous about taking it as I had never done it before. Perhaps I was simply someone that the "good ole boys" that I've seen mentioned on this site wanted to join their organization, but to me, I believe honesty + a seasoned, professional examiner will result in success. 

Polypasser

Polypasser:

I am glad that you did not have a bad experience with the polygraph unlike the countless others who have posted otherwise on this site. If I had sailed through my poly after telling the truth, I would still think they work, too. However, the truth is, they do not work.

I thought honesty was the best policy before I took an FBI polygraph. As far as "professional" examiners are concerned, I don't know about that as I've never encountered one.

No, I was not asked whether I had researched the polygraph or not, simply whether I had been through one before.

I would have to agree. I don't believe it's that fair, I was simply lucky that the machine found me to be honest. I didn't have anything to hide, but I'm sure if circumstances were changed only slightly (i.e. diff. examiner) it may have been different (that shouldn't be the case though). 

-polypasser

It’s interesting to me that whenever someone reports that they were 100% honest and “passed” their polygraph, the pro-polygraph community often professes belief in and endorses their story.  That person is assumed to be truthful and their story is then held up as an example of why the polygraph is such a useful tool.   

However, whenever someone claims they were 100% honest and “failed” their polygraph, they are often accused of withholding information, or attempting countermeasures, or outright deception.

If one is trying to determine the value of something, it seems clear that you would have to consider all the available evidence in order to render a fair judgment.  Selecting the evidence that agrees with your opinion and disregarding any evidence that doesn’t is patently ridiculous.   

Aside from variations of the “you must have had a bad/unprofessional examiner” response no one in the pro-polygraph community seems willing to even attempt to address the ever-growing amount of anecdotal evidence that examinees can be 100% truthful in every aspect and still “fail” their polygraph examination.   Why is that?   

Any response by a polygraph examiner would be appreciated.