At least now you know that if you react on the machine, and when the examiner claims:  "Deception is indicated", or "the machine indicates you are still hiding something", that they are not making a scientifically valid statement.  You can call them out on it.  Tell the polygrapher you did a little research and know the machine simply measures physiologic data and not deception.  Further, you now know it is imperative you DO NOT DISCLOSE AND FURTHER INFORMATION, no matter how unimportant you may think it is, regarding the subject covered by the relevant questions.

It's bad enough to fail, worse yet, would be to fail and have given the so-called examiner info she can distort and blow out of proportion to justify the failed polygraph.

I still think it would be more revealing, and entertaining, if you went to see a psychic instead.  Work something out with the psychic ahead of time (pay her an extra shilling or two) and get her to claim your girlfriend has a lesbian lover on the side.  Then confront your soon to be ex-woman with the information.

If you're going to go out, go out with a BANG!

TC

Hi Two block thats not much help to me as I do love her. If I tell her theat I am refusing to do the tes now, then it is fairly obvious that it makes me llok guilty?

Also I did things to hurt her and make her suspecious, I have apologised for it all though. Anyway I have been reading  chapter 3/4 on "lie behind the lie detector" and while it all makes prefect sense I do have a few questions.

It seems that to pass the exam one is to alter his/her reaction to the Control questions. However surely the examiner will see this and just fail the examinee anyway? Or at best the results will be inconclusive? Which is hardly a gloowing report to give to my girlfriend??

Is she blonde?  Putting myself in your shoes my dicision would be - "hey girl, you're put more faith in an idiot box than you do me tells me that love here is not a two way street. SO KISS MY ASS. I'M MOVING ON WITH MY LIFE"

Hi T.M

Well my girlfriend is the same as most people in society, she believes that Polygraph tests are totally accurate? She has said to me last night that if I fail the test then we are finished. I am totally in a no win situation. If I refuse then she will never believe me and just think that I am avoiding telling the truth and that I am afraid of failing because I am lying, and if I do it then there is a good chance I'll fail if reading this website is anything to go by?

This is such a feeling of helplesness. I have to basically put my future in the hands of a so called polygraph expert?!?!!! I mean I am paying this person 900 Euro to basically decide the future of my relationship!!

I have not cheated on my girlfriend but the closer I get to the day of the test the more I feel that there's a good chance that I will fail. I even feel that the polygraph tester will be biased against me as she obviously meets many people who are cheating on their spouses. I mean nobody is asked to do a fidelity test unless there are suspicions?
This tester probably considers me guilty before the test even begins?
Also my guilty and nervous feelings may cause me to fail.

I Quote:


It's a shame she would end your relationship based on the results of a pop cultural myth.

TC

Thanks again guys, I really appreciate the help and advice. 

The silly thing I did during our relationship have come out over the past couple of years. My girlfriend knows everything. The problem is that she is not sure about this and obviously wants me to do this test to prove that I never met any girls or cheated on her. I can understand her concerns. 

However as you have said I feel guilty over many things that happened and I am worried that even if I tell the truth about never cheating on her that this guilt will screw the results and make me fail the test. If this polygraph person decides to fail me then my relationship is over. I will read the book "lie behind the lie detector" but I suppose at the end of the day it all depends on what this polygraph expert thinks??? 

If she fails me then Im doomed even if I tell the truth cos my girlfriend who already has concerns will definatley believe the test over me!!!
What a mess.

Quote:


Then again, one may very well "react", without lying, or hiding anything!  As for "changing the question", it will still be a permutation of the original question, and his unconscious mind could register it as such.  So if the polygraph interrogator claims, and the person believes, that something is bothering them about the original question, he might still end up reacting to the new question, as changed.  It will still probably be along the same "line of questioning"!
 
Truth is, there can be many reasons behind a reaction as measured by the machine.  According to the National Academy of Sciences:

Almost a century of research in scientific psychology and physiology provides little basis for the expectation that a polygraph test could have extremely high accuracy. The physiological responses measured by the polygraph are not uniquely related to deception. That is, the responses measured by the polygraph do not all reflect a single underlying process: a variety of psychological and physiological processes, including some that can be consciously controlled, can affect polygraph measures and test results. Moreover, most polygraph testing procedures allow for uncontrolled variation in test administration (e.g., creation of the emotional climate, selecting questions) that can be expected to result in variations in accuracy and that limit the level of accuracy that can be consistently achieved.

Ycrad508,

It is a common polygraph examiner ploy to claim that the machine is indicating that something "must be bothering you", or that "you must be hiding something!", and so  you must disclose anything that it possibly could be no matter how "unimportant" it might be.  This an effort to get information out of you they might be able to use against you later, or at the very least to justify the "reaction".  IOW, so they can later say: "Well,  you may or may not be lying about having an affair, but there was definitely something bothering you!  You admitted such and such...etc."  Bullshit!  Don't fall for it if you take the test!  Realize they are just "fishing".  Just reiterate that your are telling the truth and nothing is bother you about YOUR ANSWER.

Seriously, read the "Lie behind the lie detector" http://www.antipolygraph.org/lie-behind-the-lie-detector.pdf

It explains this and much more about the polygraph.  Read chapters 3 and 4 in particular.  You might even share this with your girl friend.

Good Luck!

if you decide to take the test.. it is important you disclose all of the acts that caused your girlfriend to be concerned.. 

that said the problem with fidelity tests are hiding things you consider unimportant.. at they might be but the concealing will cause you to react to the relevant questions..during question review, if you have any reservations about the questions they need to be changed.. if your concerns are not addressed you will probably "fail" the examination

gary davis

Thank you very much for your help. I know that I have made a mistake by agreeing to take the test. I did so in the belief that it would prove innocence. I totally agree that any polygraph person probably assumes that I am guilty before the exam even begins. 
I will admit that I have flirted with other girls and there are reasons why my girlfriend is suspecious, she knows about it all though and I have confessed this to her. However I have not cheated and would never cheat on her as I love her so much.
I am afraid that my feeling guilty over the other stuff I have done will may cause me to fail the test even if I have not cheated.
We have been going out for 2 and a hald yrs and I know her well enough that if I pull out of the tes that she will take it as a sign of guilt. This is my fault as I have given her reason to be like this. I feel that my only option is to take the risk of taking the test an hoping that thte truth will save me?

I'm very sorry to read of your predicament. It's an all-too-common one, and we hear regularly from people in your situation.

I think that perhaps your girlfriend watches too much Jeremy Kyle and Trisha. These tawdry television talk shows use lie detector tests as a ratings gimmick, but the "tests" have absolutely no scientific basis and are inherently biased against the truthful. If I were in your shoes, I would cut my losses at £350, cancel the polygraph, share with the girlfriend the information you've learned here, and seek to salvage the relationship on the basis of honesty.

If, on the other hand, if you ultimately feel compelled to throw good money after bad and proceed with this pseudoscientific procedure, then if I were in your place, I would definitely use the simple and effective countermeasures described in The Lie Behind the Lie Detector (see especially chapters 3 & 4) rather than leaving the outcome to chance. Countermeasures cannot guarantee that you'll pass this invalid test, but they can help to reduce the risk of a false positive outcome.

I wish you all the best in this difficult situation.

ycrad508  Take the money you set aside and spend it on marital/relationship  counseling.  In the vast maority of fidelity tests the accusing party has a strongly held belief in the infidelity of the accused. Your passing the test would not likely conviince your partner of your innocence and you will end up in counseling any way. That is if you wish to save your relationship.

Even though your partner may offer assurances that they will forget the accusation should you pass, that is usually not the case.

Even if you were able to somehow be successful in implementing  the virtually worthless countermeasures taught on this site to generate non-deceptive results, it is unlikely you will be believed.

This occurs partially due to the strength of personal opinions in fidelity issues and partially due to the existence of this web site which if she were to find out about it would cause her to have further doubts about your honesty. 

Thus if you are completely truthful about your fidelity and pass, which would be very likely. The existence of this web site allows her to accuse you of not only cheating on her, but cheating on the test as well.

Spend your money on a counselor.

Hi all,

My girlfriend asked me to take a polygraph test. I have agreed to this as I want to help the trust in our relationship. Having read a lot of the information on this website has caused me to be extreamly worried that I will fail the test, if even I tell the truth. 
I am somone who gets very nervous easily, and am a terrible liar. I am in a no win situation here, as if I now tell my girlfriend that I am not taking the test, then she will assume that I a m guilty. Also I have paid the deposit of 350 pounds sterling already.
This is a private test and I am paying the polygraph expert 750 pounds sterling. I am basically placing my future in this persons hands and if they fail me then it will end my relationship.The polygrapph person has said that my girlfriend can list 3 questions that she wants answered.
If I read the information on this site and do some counter measures will I pass or am I better off just trying to answer all questions honestly?
Please help me with this as I am very worried. Thanks in advance.