???  My husband recently accused me of doing something compromising with another man.  What he thought he "saw" was very different from what I did.  Most of the parts of "what he saw" fit with what the other man and I were doing which was a very innocent and honorable task.  Hubby "saw" a filthy dirty act that didn't happen.  (note: he called the other man, hubbys own good friend - I didnt know him well, and called him dirty names, asked what went on, and the other guy just didnt want to have anything to do with this kind of bizarre thing.)

So..... 
I took a polygraph at my own insistance and expense to PROVE the truth to him.  I knew the truth and knew I would pass the poly.  I FAILED!  What gives?? How could this happen?  I am an upstanding, good, christian lady who enjoys a wonderful reputation in town. This "act" he "saw" is totally out of character for me as my husband and friends will all attest to. I did not do the filth he says I did.  This polygraph backed him up so he will never consider believing me again.  This polygraph has destroyed all trust, love, and intimacy in our marriage. Our marriage, which was typically good with its ups and downs like normal marriages have, is destroyed. 

Help!  What can I do??  Just walk away with my reputation and marriage destroyed? Please, can anyone give me some advice as to 1) how this could happen,  2) what can I do now to nuetralize the destruction of this poly test. I am an intelligent college grad and just assumed that I could go in, take the test, tell the truth, and the results would be good. NOT!  I didnt study "countermeasures" and still dont know what they are. 
You can bet I will research now.  But for the time being, any suggestions as to what I should do??  Hubby isn't going to be shy revealing that I failed the test.

Could I pass a second test, would that counter the first?
Thanks, Lou

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I won't comment on the above except to say, for the purposes of this argument, I will believe your assertions of innocence.

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Unfortunately, you fell victim to the notion that polygraphs, i.e, 'lie detectors' are scientifically accurate and can actually detect lies from truth. Unfortunately, that is just not so, and anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar.

To understand exactly why you failed, I would strongly urge you to download and read the free publication available through this website entitled, The Lie Behind The Lie Detector. Once you have an understanding of how a polygrapher decides whether or not you're being truthful, I think it will be clear to you how you 'failed'.

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I'm not comfortable offering that type of advice, but I would offer an objective observation: Your husband is deluded both by his jealousy and his incorrect belief that a polygraph is the final arbiter of truth in this matter. And, respectfully, why would you wish to stay with someone who doesn't trust you at your word? What parts of 'love, honor, and cherish' doesn't he understand?

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Once you understand the simplistic machinations behind a polygraph exam and are comfortable with countermeasures, you could pass thousands of polygraph exams, but to what end? If, after explaining to your husband why polygraphs are more voodoo than science, he still gives credence to the results, why not take another exam and pass it? Where will you be then? Your husband will still be suspicious, won't he?

lou wrote on Sep 25^th, 2001 at 2:20am:


Perhaps unintentionally by your husband. Many people are under the mistaken impression that polygraphy is a legitimate science. Certainly, you were intentionally duped by your polygrapher. And, incidentally, $600.00 is an outrageous, breathtaking amount of money for a test. As you now know, and will learn more clearly as you digest The Lie Behind The Lie Detector, your first mistake was in trusting the psuedo-science of polygraphy as a means for determining the truth, and your last was trusting your polygraph interrogator at all.

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I have read and been told that many polygraphers charge what they think they can get away with, being dependent on the examinee's ignorance and sometimes fear. Contributors to this board have noted huge disparities in polygraph interrogation fees from one exam to the next. I suppose a certain portion of the blame falls to the examinee, i.e., caveat emptor.

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They aren't in almost every court in the US. Here is an excerpt from a recent Circuit Court ruling (9th Circuit) in USA v. Cordoba:

"The reliability of polygraph testing fundamentally depends on the reliability of the protocol followed during the examination. After considering the evidence and briefing, the court concludes the proposed polygraph evidence is not admissible under Fed. R. Evid. 702. Although capable of testing and subject to peer review, no reliable error rate conclusions are available for real-life polygraph testing. Additionally, there is no general acceptance in the scientific community for the courtroom fact-determinative use proposed here. Finally, there are no reliable and accepted standards controlling polygraphy. Without such standards, there is no way to ensure proper protocol, or measure the reliability of a polygraph examination. Without such standards, the proposed polygraph evidence is inadmissible because it is not based on reliable ‘scientific knowledge.’"

Put simply, there is no evidence in any peer-reviewed scientific literature that polygraphers can detect truth or falsehood at better than chance levels of accuracy. The Courts know this and thus dismiss polygraphy as a valid truth-finding technique. Indeed, the F.B.I.’s foremost expert on polygraphy, Dr. Drew Richardson, recently opined: "[polygraph screening] is completely without any theoretical foundation and has absolutely no validity.” (Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts on the 29th day of September, 1997)

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Hmmmm.... let me guess, were you told this by... let me think... your polygrapher, by any chance?

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There are always options, dear lady. Always.

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Were you touched inappropriately by your examiner? Perhaps contacting the authorities and filing a complaint is in order.

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Unfortunately, yes.  As you may now know from reading The Lie Behind the Lie Detector, the entire polygraph process is dependent on trickery.  Essentially, the whole thing is one big scam.

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Behavior considered unethical and grounds for discipline in nearly any other profession is par for the course for polygraphers.  This includes misrepresentation, straight out lying, profane and abusive language, intimidation, etc.  Regrettably, it does little good making any complaint to polygraphers' associations etc.  

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Fortunately, an overwhelming majority of courts do not allow for the admission of polygraph chart readings into evidence.

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Once again, you were lied to.  Polygraph "tests" have never been shown to be more accurate than chance in a peer-reviewed scientific study done under field conditions.  Studies purporting 90+% accuracy, etc, have been done by polygraphers and published in polygraph and law enforcement journals and/or performed via "mock crime" scenarios.

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The fact is that there is no device that can reliably detect truthfulness in today's society.  I can understand how you made your mistake, considering the polygraph's position as an accurate "lie detector" in American popular culture (not to mention some of the stuff that the corrupt lie detection industry puts out in the name of profits).  In the future, I suggest spending your money on marriage counseling, not flawed pseudoscientific attempts at lie detection.  You also may wish to print up and bind a copy of The Lie Behind the Lie Detector and read it together with your husband.

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Speaking of polygraph examiner incomes, here is some information that you may find even more unbelievable.  One can become a polygraph examiner after taking an eight-week course for which there is no firm education pre-requisite.  Even barbers must attend 26 weeks of schooling before being licensed to cut hair.  This examiner charged you $600 for a "test" that I assume took 2-3 hours.  Besides professional athletes and other celebrities, I can think of no other occupation where one with no college education can earn $2-300 per hour.  There is little surprise that polygraph examiners so fiercely defend their scam.

If you wish to help put an end to the voodoo science of polygraphy, I encourage you to check out our Get Involved page.  We provide the book and other materials on this website for free because we genuinely want to see polygraph “tests” abolished.  One of the best ways to see this happen would be for congress to remove the governmental exemptions to the 1988 Employee Polygraph Protection Act.  For this reason, we ask those who have found the book useful to consider taking the short amount of time necessary to write the prominent senators listed on the page and your own Senators and representatives (please send paper mail, not e-mail).  We have a sample letter on the page—feel free to borrow from it.  Your elected representatives need to know that polygraph “tests” are highly inaccurate, easily beaten, and thus a detriment to national security.  These “tests” need to be abolished. 

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Lou, I concur with George on this one.  You should speak to a lawyer (or lawyers) in your area and fully explore the viability of filing a lawsuit against this scam artist.  If you have (or can get) a copy of the document where the examiner explains that he does not render inconclusive decisions, you should be able to establish a prima facie case of misconduct.

Nonetheless, we are not qualified to give legal advice.  Once again, I strongly suggest that you see a lawyer.