xpmachina,

I'm a little confused when you say the polygrapher will ask your name, age, and so on and record the responses. Perhaps you meant he will ask irrelevant questions about these? For example:

Is your name xpmachina?

Are you X years old?

If that is the case, then you may be facing a Relevant/Irrelevant "test" rather than the Guilty Knowledge Test. The next edition of The Lie Behind the Lie Detector will include a new sub-section countermeasures for the Relevant/Irrelevant "test," but let me give you the gist of it now.

First, remember at all times that the "test" is an interrogation in disguise, and you are suspected of a crime. The polygrapher is not your friend. He's not there to help you. As they say in America, "anything you say can and will be used against you." If you can do so, I strongly suggest that you have a lawyer with you when you report for your polygraph interrogation.

Second, during the "stim test," you want to produce a large reaction when you say "no" regarding the card that you actually picked. This will make the polygrapher expect to see a large reaction if you lie to a relevant question.

Second, because in the Relevant/Irrelevant technique the polygrapher uses his subjective impression of your honesty in deciding whether you pass or fail, the behavioral countermeasures described in Chapter 4 of The Lie Behind the Lie Detector will be of increased importance. It is crucial that you appear honest.

Third, because in the Relevant/Irrelevant technique irrelevant questions are not scored and the polygrapher looks for a consistent, specific, and significant reaction to a relevant question, no matter how the question is worded and no matter what order the question is asked in, you can prevent such a pattern from occurring by artificially creating a reaction to a different relevant question during each question series (that is, each different polygraph chart). However, because of the very high false positive rate that would normally be expected with the Relevant/Irrelevant technique, the behavioral countermeasures described above and your lack of admissions may be enough to get you through the "test."

Fourth, if your polygrapher accuses you of deception, remember that the "test" has no scientific basis whatsoever and don't allow yourself to be lured into a post-test interrogation. Terminate the interrogation and leave.