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The Lie Behind the Lie Detector

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.

Polygraph Countermeasure Challenge On 28 January 2002, the late polygraph expert Dr. Drew C. Richardson, a former FBI scientist and supervisory special agent, reiterated his challenge to the polygraph community to prove their claimed ability to detect countermeasures (techniques for passing -- or beating -- the polygraph). His challenge went 14 years without any takers. What are the polygraph operators afraid of? (Listen to a personal message from Dr. Richardson.)

CIA Deputy Director of Talent Development Ronald S. Patrick Is a Liar, a Fool, or Both
Ronald S. Patrick, the CIA's deputy director for talent development, recently characterized the pseudoscience of polygraphy as "an 'exceedingly reliable' way to find out whether you've been truthful" in a single-source article by New York Times Magazine writer Malia Wollan...

Only 1 in 4 Applicants Pass the Prince William County Police Pre-Employment Polygraph
Prince William County, Virginia police chief Barry M. Barnard is seeking to diversify his force, but his reliance on the pseudoscience of polygraphy results in nearly three quarters of otherwise qualified applicants being rejected.

RCMP Applicant Read The Lie Behind the Lie Detector and Beat the Polygraph
An article published in the French language newspaper Le Soleil in 2011 recounts the story of an applicant for employment with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) who read AntiPolygraph.org's free book, The Lie Behind the Lie Detector, and used the countermeasure techniques provided therein to pass the RCMP's pre-employment polygraph examination while lying about salient details of his history, including whether he intended to use polygraph countermeasures.

National Border Patrol Council Official Cites Polygraph Abuse
In a report by Fronteras Desk senior editor Michel Marizco published 23 June 2016, National Border Patrol Council vice president and Tucson Local 2544 president Art Del Cueto criticized U.S. Customs and Border Protection's polygraph practices.

Man Who Alleges Rogue Polygraph Operator Robert Bartik Coerced False Murder Confession Wins Court Motion
Chicago Tribune reporter Duaa Eldeib reports on the case of convicted murderer Anteleto Jones, who alleges that Chicago Police Department polygraph operator Robert Bartik, who has a documented history of misconduct, physically and mentally coerced him into falsely confessing during an unrecorded interrogation.

Confessed Murderer Vladica Rajkovic Passed Polygraph "Test" and Killed Again
Serbian news site b92 reports on a man who passed a police polygraph test regarding the disappearance of a woman he has since confessed to having murdered. After passing the polygraph, Rajkovic allededly went on to rape and murder a three-year old girl.

Ignoring Science After Cuban Spy Ana Belen Montes Beat the Polygraph, DoD IG Recommended More Polygraphs
On Friday, 21 September 2001, the Defense Intelligence Agency's senior analyst for Cuban affairs, 16-year veteran Ana Belen Montes, was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit espionage for Cuba. News that Montes had beaten the polygraph while spying for Cuba was first reported here on AntiPolygraph.org by one of our forum members....

New AntiPolygraph.org Mailing List
AntiPolygraph.org is launching a new public mailing list for e-mail discussion of polygraph issues (and notifications of important news).

Sen. Jeff Flake Raises Concern Over CBP Polygraph Practices
In a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary held Thursday, 30 June 2016, Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) expressed concern to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson about the level of false positives in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection pre-employment polygraph program, and that such false positives amount to a "scarlet letter" for employment elsewhere in government.

Convicted Sex Offender Who Purchased Doug Williams' How to Sting the Polygraph Passed Four Polygraph Examinations
On 21 February 2013, federal agents raided former police polygraphist Doug Williams' home and office, seizing his customer records as part of an investigation targeting polygraph countermeasure instructors....

Federal Judge Throws Out FBI Post-Polygraph Confession Over Concerns About Voluntariness
On 9 June 2016, Chief United States District Judge for the District of New Mexico M. Christina Armijo signed an 8-page order suppressing inculpatory statements made to an FBI polygraph examiner by the suspect in a child molestation investigation.

Confessed Killer Steven Williams Dismembered Ex-Wife with Chainsaw, Dissolved Parts in Acid, and Beat the Polygraph
Steven Williams, a 30-year-old U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina, has confessed to killing his ex-wife, Tricia Todd, on the night of 26 April 2016....

 

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