Hello everybody,

Can anybody tell me if these questions are Relevant or a Control Question?

1.Do you drink?

2.Are you really 22 years old?

3.Have you ever operated a motor vehicle when having too much to drink?

4.What is too much to drink?

5.Have you ever operated a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol?

For questions 3 I answered it with NO and question 4 I answered it with 13 drinks being too much in my Pre-Polygraph interview.  Could they make a Relevant question based on my answer in question 3 and 4 on test day to see if I am telling the truth.

Heather,

In The Lie Behind the Lie Detector, we note that you shouldn't try to categorize each question in a pre-polygraph questionnaire as relevant or control. They're not necessarily the questions that you're going to be asked during the examination itself. If you plan on protecting yourself with countermeasures, you need to be able to categorize the questions correctly on-the-fly on the day of the "test."

That said, here's a run-down:

1. Unlikely to be used, but would be irrelevant. The reason for asking this is to find out if a question about drinking and driving can be used as a "control";

2. Irrelevant;

3. Control (but an admission to habitual drunk driving would no doubt be disqualifying);

4. Would not be asked. All questions are yes/no;

5. Control (but again, substantive admissions could be disqualifying).