After reading LBTLD, I'm curious if I should answer yes or no to these controls:

Is there anything in your background that you are afraid that our investigator might find out?

Is there something that I didn't ask that you're affraid that I will ask?

Thanks!

Oh yes, Guest, please follow Treetops suggestion.....NOT!......You see George what you have spawned.  I am, certain you know what type of questions these are....and clearly Treetops does not and here is is making suggestions to people on how to defeat the test.  How ignorant can you get?  Go ahead Guest...yu are about to get caught and listening to Treetops (where he should stay), is the poorest advice that you can obtain....hey, I have a unique approach....why not tell the truth!

Guest,

The appropriate answer you should give to both of the questions you listed is "no."

I agree that the first question, "Is there anything in your background that you are afraid our investigator might find out?" is likely intended as a "control" question, and one to which you should be prepared to produce a response if you choose to employ countermeasures.

However, the second question, "Is there something that I didn't ask that you're afraid that I will ask?" is not a "control" question. It is what is commonly termed "symptomatic" or "outside issue" question. You'll find these addressed at p. 106 of The Lie Behind the Lie Detector (3rd ed.). There is no need to produce a response to this question.

Torpedo seems to be suggesting that the first question you listed is also a "symptomatic" question. However, I am not confident that such is the case and, as I mentioned before, understand it to be intended as a "control" question.

Ray,

If you honestly think I am mistaken, please explain.

But as for your advice that Guest "[j]ust tell the truth" and that he/she will "be fine" if he/she has "nothing to hide," get real. CQT polygraphy has no scientific basis and truthful persons have no reason for confidence that the polygraph will find them to be non-deceptive.

And considering that in CQT polygraphy it is assumed that all subjects will be less than fully honest when answering the "control" questions, your admonition to "just tell the truth" is patently insincere.

Ray wrote on Dec 5^th, 2003 at 11:14pm:


No, of course you wont.

You can't have a debate without both sides.  Even if what you have to say is legitimate, it will have no baring. The amount of people who take polygraph's compared to those who come here is no comparison. Your secret is safe with "us".