Sensory impairments effect on polygraph administra

[Dbird]

Does anyone have information or ideas on how sensory impairments (hearing loss, deafness, partial visual impairment, blindness, and others) affect the administration, reading and outcome of polygraph examinations?

Any resources?

Any knowledge about effective accommodations and the problems accommodations present in polygraph administration?
Thanks!

[G Scalabr]

Dbird,

We are frequently asked if various medical conditions can affect polygraph accuracy.

Since polygraphy has not been shown to reliably detect truth from deception in healthy individuals, there is no reason to expect that these "tests" are reliable when used on people with chronic medical conditions. As matter of fact, the American Medical Association has a position statement condemning polygraphy and testified before congress in support of the 1988 Employee Polygraph Protection Act. Once again, there is no way to explain why a subject--healthy or ill--may have "failed." Polygraph "tests" are simply not a reliable way to measure truthfulness.

[False +]

Gino,

I was not aware of the AMA's position on polygraphy, and am heartened by the news that they go so far as to disagree with it outright. That should be a strong message to the NAS scientists working on the study. Thanks for the heads up, Gino.

[Dbird]

Thank you Gino.  I was just doing a web search for such documents by the AMA.  I searched their site and MSN's.  I found nothing -- yet.  I will continue looking, but if you can give me some guidance in locating such, that would be good -- and I would be grateful.

[G Scalabr]

Gentlmen,

The position statement was online roughly a year or so ago at http://www.ama-assn.org.

It was something to the effect of "polygraph screening should be stopped until additional research is done."

Unfortunately, I can no longer find this page on the website.  I will look around for additional citations.

I do, however, have the URL from a similar position statment made by the America
n Nurses Assocation

[Dbird]

Again, thank you.  I just looked at the ANA statement, which is a good one on principle.  I have looked at the AMA page.  What I would like to find are any statements, queries, or studies regarding the impact of having a sensory-impairment on polygraph administration--with and without accommodation.  With my severe to profound hearing loss, I can use hearing aids to get by, but it adds stress.  And I am not truly certain I understand what is being asked.  

I often use my understanding of people and circumstances to adjust messages.  For example, I went to an AA meeting recently.  Before it began, a man came up and introduced himself.  I thought at first he said, "Hello, I'm Bob.  I like your hair."  Then I realized what he really must have said was "Hello, I'm Bob.  I'm glad you're here."

[George W. Maschke]

Dbird,

You wrote in part:

What I would like to find are any statements, queries, or studies regarding the impact of having a sensory-impairment on polygraph administration--with and without accommodation.

Chapter 22 of Forensic Psychophysiology Using the Polygraph by James Allen Matte (J.A.M. Publications, 1996) deals with the administration of polygraph "tests" to the deaf or hearing impaired, but it doesn't really address the impact of hearing impairment on the accuracy of polygraphy.

It is important that you realize that polygraphy is not science. Polygraph "testing" is a pseudoscientific fraud and is without diagnostic value. Polygraph "tests" are not tests within the scientific meaning of the word, but are instead unstandardized interrogatory interviews. Because polygraphy is not standardizable and is fraught with uncontrolled (and uncontrollable) variables, it can have no validity. See Chapter 1 of The Lie Behind the Lie Detector and the sources cited there for further information.

With regard to your personal situation, I think it would be more productive to challenge the validity of polygraphy itself rather than pointing to your hearing loss or any other health-related condition in an attempt to explain your polygrapher's accusation against you. As Gino has noted elsewhere, one might as well try to expain why a coin toss ended up either heads or tails.