CarlBrutananadilewski wrote on Jul 13
th, 2022 at 7:49pm:
Because being completely honest led to an 'inconclusive' poly result, consistent with how I have read that truthful people are at a disadvantage, I am now looking at interventions to tilt the odds more in my favor.
Searching on the various forums, I have seen a number of people who recommend buying some home version “Lie Detector,” which they don't explain but usually seems to be just a GSR measure, and they describe the importance of 'practicing' their mental and physiological responses to an audio recording of a mock test they create. There are a number of dead and very old links to these devices—any recommendations for a GSR device that is currently available and that has (relatively) good reviews and is under 200$? Is it worthwhile to look for something that measures both GSR and temperature?
I am not able to recommend any such device. About a decade ago, I purchased a device marketed as a "USB Polygraph" by a company called Swamiware. But it was basically junk. The accompanying software was particularly bad.
Note that typical polygraph instruments do not measure the subject's body temperature.
Quote:When creating the mock test to 'practice' the questions, using the Comparison Question format, from some dated materials and this forum, I have read the tests consist of anywhere from two relevant questions to fourteen relevant questions per test. To best imitate real life and current practices, what is the most common number of relevant questions per test nowadays on that format, and corresponding with that number you offer, what would be the most common number of irrelevant and control questions?—I want to make sure I get my proportions right.
Based on your previous posts, I infer that you are facing post-conviction polygraph screening. The most commonly used technique used for this purpose seems to be the Air Force Modified General Question Test (AFMGQT). For details on this technique, see the associated
administration guide.
Quote:After reading TLBTLD several times, I just read Doug Williams' very brief Sting book, which did seem to have good information on breathing patterns I haven't seen in TLBTLD, on how to make sure your breathing doesn't appear controlled, with the jagged edge patterns. However, he described the GSR response as unimportant, and said that it is controlled by your breathing and cardio responses, but I have read GSR described as the most important measure here in this forum, but haven't read of specific interventions for it. For control questions, along with scary mental imagery of being devoured by large predators while hopelessly punching them in the face, slightly shallower breathing for 5 secs, I visualize my finger tips in molten lava and I can feel them pulse. Once I get a GSR device, I will see if that fingertip visualization actually registers. Any thoughts on the importance of GSR in general compared to other measures and fingertip visualization (or other GSR intervention) in particular?
I do not think that persons practicing polygraph countermeasures need be concerned about jagged respiratory tracings. The GSR channel is not unimportant. It is not less important than the other channels.
Quote:I have read some inconsistent information on the forum on mental imagery responses to Irrelevant questions. Some people posting here stated they use the same relaxing mental imagery and breathing pattern for Irrelevant questions as they do for Relevant questions (assuming it isn't an R-I test), which doesn't make sense to me. I would think that I would aim to have the very least response to Relevant, a mild response to Irrelevant (which I've read aren't scored), and a major response to Control questions. I would think that my steady breathing pattern would be the same for Irrelevant as Relevant, but that I wouldn't use any relaxing mental imagery for Irrelevant questions—your thoughts?
Thanks in advance--CB.
Your notion that one would want to show a mild response to irrelevant questions is mistaken. Polygraph operators don't expect to see reactions to them, and to the extent that they do, they may interpret that as evidence of polygraph countermeasures.
Note that there is no research evidence on the effects of using relaxing mental imagery as a polygraph countermeasure.