Normal Topic How come MythBusters couldn't foil the polygraph? (Read 5429 times)
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How come MythBusters couldn't foil the polygraph?
Jan 14th, 2009 at 4:30am
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I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with the episode, but Mythbusters attmpted to fool a polygraph "by using pain to try and increase the readings when answering truthfully (so the machine will supposedly interpret the truthful and non-truthful answers as the same.) They also attempted to fool the polygraph by thinking happy thoughts when lying and thinking stressful thoughts when telling the truth to try and confuse the machine. However, neither technique was successful and the examiner Michael Martin correctly identified each guilty and innocent subject. "

  
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Paste Member Name in Quick Reply Box T.M. Cullen
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Re: How come MythBusters couldn't foil the polygraph?
Reply #1 - Jan 14th, 2009 at 6:13am
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That show episode has already been discussed on this board in the following thread:

https://antipolygraph.org/cgi-bin/forums/YaBB.pl?num=1197009999

Incidentally, the polygraph operator on that show claimed to be a Ph'd, but actually isn't.  Yes, this so called lie detector lied about his credentionals!

T. M. Cullen, Ph'd, CPA, M.D., DDM
  

"There is no direct and unequivocal connection between lying and these physiological states of arousal...(referring to polygraph)."

Dr. Phil Zimbardo, Phd, Standford University
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Re: How come MythBusters couldn't foil the polygraph?
Reply #2 - Jan 15th, 2009 at 3:29am
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Anxious,

In order to successfully employ polygraph countermeasures, one must:

1) Identify the "control" questions; and
2) Augment physiological responses to them at the proper time.

The latter technique is useless without the former. 

The Mythbusters piece provides an excellent example of someone attempting to employ polygraph countermeasures without fully understanding the flawed logic behind the "test."


« Last Edit: Jan 15th, 2009 at 8:44am by G Scalabr »  
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How come MythBusters couldn't foil the polygraph?

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