Barry_C wrote on Nov 1
st, 2007 at 7:58pm:
Quote: So, based on your answer it would be safe to say that there is no one industry standard as to how polygraphs are scored and that examinations can be scored a number of different ways, and that scoring of any given polygraph is susceptable to any number of errors?
No.
If an examiner is using a validated scoring system according to its rules, agreement is very high as is accuracy. You can see from reading this site though, that some who call themselves examiners don't know what is valid, understand the scientific literature, etc, while others do. For those who don't know what they are doing, then yes, you're going to have problems. We need to do a better job in the polygraph community of helping the consumer to learn which is which.
Dear Readers,
The statistical symbols, the psychobabble, the constant haranguing
is intended to deflect the reality of polygraph.
It's reality is simple. It is an antiquated contraption that has as much
to do with lie-detection as a man jumping off a building has to do with flying.
Examiners have a desperate need to come to this board, to try
and convince you that researching the p/g and reading TLBTLD
will actually be harmful to you if you believe that physical and mental
CM's can assist you to pass a p/g test.
The fact is, the more you know about the p/g system and the more you
know about the examiners verbal & other behaviours, so the p/g will
lose it's power over you. Destroy the myths and believe that it is a pseudo
science - and you are well on your way to passing.
P/g examiners like to quote the 'student-movie ticket study', which is about
the most pathetic project ever undertaken by anyone.
The statiscal and 'empirical evidence BS is just that, BS.
The human psyche is far too complex to predict with a set of statistics.
No two people react or respond the same in terms of psychophysiological
behaviours. There are no verified psychological theories, only hypotheses.
P/g examiners are dismissive of any research - and there is plenty of it -
carried out by suitably qualified academics - their knee jerk reaction is to
immediately rubbish, disregard and disrespect any such research - but they
will babble on incessantly about a silly project such as the movie-tickets for students study.
The polygraph is a prop utilised to elicit admissions and confessions.
Most p/g examiners have developed investigative skills and together
with their intuition, should be able to discard their p/g and elicit confessions
in the course of an investigative interview.
Fact is, most admissions and confessions should be obtained during the pre-test
interview phase. Once a subject has denied a suspected activity a dozen times
during the course of an exam, he is quite unlikely to make confessions thereafter, as he first has to admit to lying in the test in addition to lying about the suspected activity.
Perhaps the modern day polygraphers have no investigative interviewing
skills and therefore have to rely on basic data collected by the most basic,
antiquated contraption - the polygraph.
It is a shame that in this modern day and age, that good people are denied jobs; that innocent people suffer humiliation; simply because investigators
have become lazy and inept.
Poor judicial systems, poor policing, protectionist laws do not and will never justify the use of polygraph. Primarily because it is not accurate.