The following message has been sent to polygrapher Dee Moody by e-mail to dmoody7@cs.com and copied to reporter Erin Sherbert at esherbert@angnewspapers.com. Dear Ms. Moody:
In an interview with
San Mateo [County] Times staff writer Erin Sherbert published today (10 March 2003) under the title
"The telling truth about polygraphs," you claimed that polygraphers can detect countermeasures:
Quote:There are also countermeasures. With the Internet today, all you have to do is type in 'beat the polygraph' and you can find books for $100 on how to beat the polygraph. But polygraph examiners know about those books, and if they come in and use countermeasures, then we know it.
I am not aware of any books on how to beat the polygraph that cost anything near $100. Could you tell me specifically which book you had in mind when you said that?
In any event, AntiPolygraph.org offers a
free book
(The Lie Behind the Lie Detector) that, among other things, includes a detailed discussion of polygraph countermeasures. This book has been downloaded over 60,000 times and is probably the most widely read book on polygraph countermeasures (and indeed, about polygraphy in general).
You say that polygraph examiners will "know it" if a subject comes in and uses countermeasures. But the available peer reviewed research on the subject suggests that even experienced polygraphers cannot detect countermeasures at better-than-chance levels. Indeed, the American Polygraph Association quarterly,
Polygraph, in its 32-year history, has yet to publish a single article setting forth a reliable methodology for the detection of the kinds of countermeasures described in
The Lie Behind the Lie Detector. Indeed,
Polygraph recently published an article by Paul M. Menges, an instructor at the Department of Defense Polygraph Institute, arguing that it is unethical (and perhaps even seditious or treasonous) to make information about countermeasures available to the public, and suggesting that it should be outlawed. (See my
"Response to Paul M. Menges Regarding the Ethical Considerations of Providing Polygraph Countermeasures to the Public.")
So, I challenge you to
either publicly support your claim that polygraph examiners will "know it" if countermeasures are used, or publicly retract it. An ideal way for you to demonstrate your confidence in your claimed ability to detect countermeasures would be for you to accept Dr. Drew C. Richardson's
polygraph countermeasure challenge, which as of today has gone 406 days without any taker.
Sincerely,
George W. Maschke
AntiPolygraph.org