So, how messed up is that? needless to say, Im not too happy about it. She was robbed of 50k in jewelry while out of town, left the alarm off and a door unlocked by accident, so her 2 sons and my wife are the top suspects, because she is "convinced it is an inside job." Reluctantly, Ive agreed to a lie detector, though Im pretty suspicious of their effectiveness. I don't feel like Ill be too nervous, Im telling the truth, but there is a lot at stake. My relationship with her is going to be pretty rocky after this, who wouldn't be extremely offended? Im going to be really angry if I fail the test, because then Ill have to defend myself the rest of my life.
What are the chances I self incriminate myself if Im innocent? Am I just at the whim of the test taker? Ive found so many experts in the field of psychology who highly suggest avoiding these 'tests' if you can, so I really don't want to. But my crazy mom says Ill be assumed guilty if I don't take the test, which is pretty messed up.
Jared,
Polygraphy has no scientific basis (https://antipolygraph.org/articles/article-018.shtml). As such, it isn't possible to meaningfully calculate the odds of an innocent person wrongly failing, but the best available field research would suggest about 50-50 odds (https://antipolygraph.org/articles/article-051.pdf). You would indeed be at the whim of the polygraph operator.
See our free book, The Lie Behind the Lie Detector (https://antipolygraph.org/lie-behind-the-lie-detector.pdf), for a thorough debunking of polygraphy.
Polygraph "testing" is demeaning and degrading. If I were in your shoes, I would refuse the polygraph and encourage the others to also refuse.
You can show your mother the material available on this site. If you e-mail me, I could send you some additional material that may be helpful. In addition, your mother is welcome to contact me to discuss why a trial-by-polygraph is a bad idea (and waste of money).
Quote from: 6B40534445210 on Mar 18, 2015, 03:21 AMMy relationship with her is going to be pretty rocky after this.
Aunty has the feeling that it has been rocky for a long time.
You should tell your mother that you will agree to a polygraph exam to prove you are innocent only if she will agree to a DNA test to prove she is your mother.
I also think that anyone who is asked to pass a polygraph exam to prove his innocence should consider two inescapable truths:
1. The polygraph lie detector is junk science and is no better than a coin toss. It is poisonous to true justice because lazy police and vicious prosecutors can pretend to believe in it.
2. Anyone who makes a accusation based on flimsy or absent evidence is sure to have a heavy emotional investment in the guilt of the accused. He (or she) will believe a lie detector test only if it indicates guilt, and will find an excuse to toss it out if it indicates innocence.
Quote from: George_Maschke on Mar 18, 2015, 08:16 AMJared,
Polygraphy has no scientific basis (https://antipolygraph.org/articles/article-018.shtml). As such, it isn't possible to meaningfully calculate the odds of an innocent person wrongly failing, but the best available field research would suggest about 50-50 odds (https://antipolygraph.org/articles/article-051.pdf). You would indeed be at the whim of the polygraph operator.
See our free book, The Lie Behind the Lie Detector (https://antipolygraph.org/lie-behind-the-lie-detector.pdf), for a thorough debunking of polygraphy.
Polygraph "testing" is demeaning and degrading. If I were in your shoes, I would refuse the polygraph and encourage the others to also refuse.
You can show your mother the material available on this site. If you e-mail me, I could send you some additional material that may be helpful. In addition, your mother is welcome to contact me to discuss why a trial-by-polygraph is a bad idea (and waste of money).
Id appreciate that, please email me at jleemink@yahoo.com