Quote:He didn't actually say "self-incriminating," but that's what he was getting at. He literally said, "you've got to give me something or I won't help you pass."
Gee, I thought the machine was suppose to say whether you were telling the truth and you passed. If I were the suspicious type, I'd say they were just trying to elicit information from you and that the machine was basically a "prop".
What they do is use "upside-down" logic. If you react on the chart, they assume it's a LIE (which isn't necessarily the case). They must then get something out of you they can use to justify the reaction, and fail you. Oh, and they will blow whatever you give them way out of proportion to justify a fail. It can be something that falls way short of the behavior tested for by nature of the relevant question.
Example, my boss in the Navy took his polygraph update at the NSA. He kept reacting to the "unauthorized disclosure of classified info" question. They explained that the question meant did he KNOWINGLY, and INTENTIONALLY disclose classified information. Anyway, this went on for days! He finally said something to the effect that he may have had a piece of classified info in his pocket during a smoke break outside of secure spaces.
EUREKA! BINGO! They then latched on to what he said like grim death! Used it to justify a fail. So his security access was put in limbo for several months.
Note, the info he volunteer fell far short of what he was told the original relevant question meant. So there is a valuable lesson to learn there. Listen to what they say the question means. In this case INTENTIONALLY, WILLFULLY, KNOWINGLY disclosing classified info. Actually, disclosure means handing over or otherwise communicating the info to an unauthorized person...etc.
In this case, he had just absentmindedly put a piece of classified info he happened to be working on into his pocket and went out for a smoke break!
Lesson to be learned? If they have a consistent "reaction" they will use ANYTHING to justify the reaction and try to fail you. So understand what the full thrust of the question is, answer just the question AS DEFINED. Do not volunteer anything else of a speculative nature they can then use to fail you, or try to fail you with.
Amen