Goose,
It seems you were not subjected to a post-test interrogation, and this is a good (but not conclusive) sign that you passed your "test." As BUSE1 noted from personal experience, absence of a post-test interrogation does not necessarily mean that you have successfully proven your innocence to your prospective employer.
It would be prudent for you to write for your own record a detailed memorandum about your polygraph experience, as discussed in Chapter 5 of
The Lie Behind the Lie Detector. This will be useful in case you are later compelled to contest your polygrapher's opinion.
I'm interested in the technique your polygrapher used, that is, her telling you to not to reply orally but to answer her questions "in your head." This calls to mind a technique which James Allen Matte refers to as the "Silent Answer Test" and to which he devotes Chapter 19 of his book
Forensic Psychophysiology Using the Polygraph (
J.A.M. Publications, 1996). He explains the rationale for this technique (as opposed to having the subject verbally answer the questions) at pp. 514-15:
Quote:Research conducted by Frank S. Horvath and John E. Reid (1972) revealed that the Silent Answer Test produces better respiratory patterns by eliminating causes of distortions from the examinee who prepares himself or herself to answer each question aloud by inhaling a great amount of air; from the examinee who loudly bellows his or her answer to emphasize his or her denial; from the examinee who feels compelled to give an elaborate answer instead of a simple "yes" or "no" as instructed; and from the examinee whose throat is dry or irritated necessitating the clearing of his or her throat or coughing at intervals during the test.
It's mildly surprising that your polygrapher used this technique as her primary one, and not as a back-up. How many times did she ask you her series of approximately ten questions while the polygraph instrument was attached to you?
By the way, whether you answer the questions out loud or not, polygraphy is exactly what you suggested, an attempt to read your mind. The validity of such attempts at mind-reading is, however, unsupported by peer-reviewed scientific research.