TheKaisho wrote on Apr 18
th, 2008 at 2:19pm:
I was given a private polygraph test which indicated I was truthful. Much later on, I was given a polygraph by the state police that said I was being deceptive.
In both instances, the questions were the same and the equipment, as far as I could tell, were the same or similar.
The only real differences between the two were location (th efirst at my attorney's office, the other at the county office) and the private polygrapher I had had done this both as a state trooper and in private practice for 25 years. The state trooper who did the later polygraph had only been fully licensed to perform polygraph exams for about a year before he did mine.
Okay, what I want to know is this: All things being equal, and if polygraphy is such an accurate and real science, can anyone explain to me how I could pass one polygraph and then fail another over the same subject?
From what I have read here, there are two camps; one pro and one con, black OR white. I have not read too much about gray here.
Can anyone explain to me what they believe? Surely, a person has to be either lying OR telling the truth about the same subject, right?
So, my final question is, when a professional polygraph examiner has one test positive and another examiner has one negative, what does that mean and how would polygraph "science" (I use the term very loosely here) explain away the dichotomy?
BTW, despite my apparent tone, I am not really trying to be facetious, but I do have an academic interest.
Truly no-one can answer the questions you pose here unless a full quality control review were to take place of both examinations, followed up by an interview with you. Not very likely.
Is it possible your distration (re: daughter) could have played a part in the results of your second exam? Yes, there could be a lot of reasons for the disparity in results but I do not have that much time to hypothesize.
I will assume by your post, stating, "a lowly and very minor felon", that you are involved in a criminal affair. If there is no other evidence, then what is your concern? Polygraph results can not be used solely within the judicial system as evidence against a party. So I also assume, you will be fine.
Sackett