Hello-
I hope George M. would chime in here if at all possible, but if anyone else has a solid answer (not an opinion) plz feel free to teach. I am going to sit for a second poly test. The first one went okay until the question of foreign national contact came up. Only afterwards did I realize that the term FN basically includes anyone who is not a US citizen. Duh, the majority of my family live in another country (not China, Afghan, etc) and the polygraph examiner made me believe that since he already knows this, that FN's would be anyone from a country similar to above. I didnt hesitate to say a simple 'no' because I really do not have any connection with anyone from any other country. So I was thinking of clarifying that because the test begins, is that the best approach? He claimed that everything else I answered went 'well', whatever that means.
One more thing, since this is a full scope test, why did I not receive any questions on sex???? Not that it matters since I have the most boring sex life probably in the world. But maybe those questions are still to come? Any input would be greatly appreciated.
TY!
Based on your account, I'm inferring that the agency administering the polygraph interrogation is either the CIA or the NSA. Both of these agencies employ the "relevant/irrelevant" technique (described in Chapter 3 of The Lie Behind the Lie Detector (https://antipolygraph.org/lie-behind-the-lie-detector.pdf)). With these agencies, it is quite common for persons to initially be accused of "having problems" and then to be brought back for one or more follow-up polygraph sessions.
If I were in your shoes, I would not go out of my way to try to explain why I may have "reacted" to any particular question. Any statement you make, any unsolicited information that you provide, has the potential to be spun into a disqualifying admission by a polygraph operator seeking to corroborate his or her chart readings.
Instead, you might review the behavioral countermeasures explained in Chapter 4 of TLBTLD and avoid behaviors that polygraph interrogators are trained to believe are indicative of deception.
As for why you weren't asked any questions about sex, I'm not sure. Not everyone subjected to a "lifestyle" polygraph interrogation is asked such questions.
Good luck!
George
Thank you so much for your input, I WILL follow your instructions. But one thing I would like to know is, since I won't bring up the last polygraph question that 'disqualified' or 'failed' me, when they bring it up, what should I do as they too know that THAT particular question is the one they want to screw me on? At that point, should I explain that I now understand how broad of a question that is? Or should I now just say yes? Seems to me that that would raise an eyebrow?
I would simply answer any direct questions about that directly and truthfully. But I would refrain from offering rationales for why I may have reacted to any particular question(s) beyond, "I don't know why I may have reacted to that question. I answered it truthfully."
But I didnt answer it truthfully since now I realize that foreign nationals are in fact my family and friends of whom I speak to all the time? I did not know that they are considered foreign nationals at the time of the polygraph test?
Perhaps I misunderstood you. You stated earlier that "the polygraph examiner made [you] believe that since he already knows this, that FN's would be anyone from a country similar to above." If the polygraph operator did not in fact make it clear that the scope of his question excluded persons from the country where you have friends and relatives, then this is a matter you may wish to discuss in a follow-up polygraph session. But again, I would not volunteer any information that is not specifically asked for.
Yes George, we now have a clear understanding. I agree with your approach and thank you again for your input.
Please let us know what comes of it! Good luck!