jrkclk wrote on Mar 20^th, 2010 at 5:53pm:


It's important to give the expected answer. For example, if the control question is, "Did you ever lie to get out of trouble?" the expected answer is "No." And that's the answer one should give (perhaps after making very minor admissions).

If one chooses to employ countermeasures, then one will want to augment reactions to control questions. It doesn't matter whether or not, or to what extent, one's answer to a particular control question is truthful.

So if it's a control question and you answer it truthful do you still employ the cm?

As noted at pp. 98-99 and 143-44 of the current (4th) edition of The Lie Behind the Lie Detector, it's common for people to make minor admissions to a "control" question. The polygraph operator will then move to exclude such admissions from the scope of the question, typically rephrasing it, "Other than what you told me, did you ever...?"

Hello, 
I have a polygraph test coming up and i have read chapters 3-4 in the book about "how to pass a ploygraph test". Well I am a bit confused about the control questions. So basically we want the machine to go haywire during the control questions and calm for the releveant questions correct? Well the cotrol questions are basically "have you ever stole anything in your life". So everyone stole something before in there lifetime so am I suppose to lie to questions that ask things like this . even know the instructor will know its a lie?