Heart Conditions and Polygraphs

[Upsddwnnsdout]

Hey,
Does anyone know if premature arterial contractions will affect the results of a polygraph???  Need to know!

[1904]

Hey,
Does anyone know if premature arterial contractions will affect the results of a polygraph???  Need to know!

Premature arterial contractions originate in the atrial chambers (PAC's) or in the ventricles (premature ventricular contractions - PVC's).

There are varying underlying causes of both PAC's & PVC's -  most of which will produce unreliable cardio tracings on the p/graph.

Arrythmias(or murmurs) usually occur during the diastolic phase of the cardiac cycle - resulting in irregular and  'dropped' diastole tracings. This often requires frequent re-centering of the cardio tracing.

If your PAC or PVC activity is frequent and regular, you should be deemed unsuitable for polygraph testing.

Unfortunately, you would probably have to be in a coma before an examiner deemed you to be unsuitable for testing.

[Barry_C]

There are varying underlying causes of both PAC's & PVC's -  most of which will produce unreliable cardio tracings on the p/graph.

I'm not sure how he knows that as what little research we have on them shows they do nothing as far as a decision of truth or deception goes.  Not surprising, given they are usually pretty benign and few require treatment of any kind. They don't typically result in an increase in BP, which is what we look for on a polygraph test.  It's a better question for your physician if you think it's a problem.

You'll find your physician might need an explanation of polygraph to make a determination, but if you want or need the test, doctors will often help make the decision (with the examiner) as to the appropriateness of polygraph.  Many of us have refused a person a doctor later cleared.  Examiners are trained to err on the side of caution when it comes to heart conditions of any sort.  There are a few that are so common (such as this and Mitral-valve prolapse) that they don't scare us as easily.

[1904]

There are varying underlying causes of both PAC's & PVC's -  most of which will produce unreliable cardio tracings on the p/graph.

Noodle:I'm not sure how he knows that as what little research we have on them shows they do nothing as far as a decision of truth or deception goes.  

Noodle suffers from selective factual retention. What also transpires is that he has apparently never carried out any of his own research - published or not. His greatest talent demonstrated to date is the parrotting of "the literature and the reading" - which he has now also
claimed as his sole preserve.

Noodle again: There are a few (PAC's and PVC's ) that are so common (such as this and Mitral-valve prolapse) that they don't scare us as easily.

Like I said, you would need to be comatose before BC deemed you to be unsuitable for polygraph testing.

[Barry_C]

What also transpires is that he has apparently never carried out any of his own research - published or not. His greatest talent demonstrated to date is the parrotting of "the literature and the reading" - which he has now also
claimed as his sole preserve.

First, that's wrong - yet another indication that you don't read the literature.  Secondly, even if it were true, why would that be bad?  That is what most here do.  Do you want me to hold you up so you can take a breath?

[KRAZYMOOFOO]

I recentl took a polygraph test and fail and i do have heart problems. My heart races from time to time and i do have high blood pressure prolems. The prblem with this whole thing is i was telling the truth and i still failed, I even failed my name. The thing is no machine no matter how much we rely on them can tell you about you. It cant look into the past or say whats on your mind. It supposedly can only tell you if you are being DECEPTIVE or not. Not if you are telling the truth or not.
And can one be deceptive about his/her name. Test of the polygraph have shown that a liar can pass the test and those you are telling the truth can fail. So my advice is to take this test at your own risk.

[Lena]

I have mitral valve prolapse with regurgitation and also a heart murmur. Can either of these conditions, seperately or together, produce a false positive during an examination?

[George W. Maschke]

Lena,

While there is scant research on the effects of any medical conditions on polygraph results, it seems unlikely that such conditions as you mention would directly cause a false positive. But you should be aware that polygraphy has no scientific basis to begin with and is inherently biased against the truthful. False positives are common. For more on the scientific status of polygraphy, see Chapter 1 of The Lie Behind the Lie Detector and the sources cited there:

https://antipolygraph.org/lie-behind-the-lie-detector.pdf

[NikonCharlie]

My friend Misty Croslin was recently told by prison doctor that she has heart mumor. She already knew because she was born with it. Failing poloy has caused her major problems.

[Jeff Palmer]

I took a polygraph in 2006 and it showed deception and I resigned from a job in law enforcement. I knew that I had a heart murmur. A few years later, I had mechanical valve put in and also a Maze operation to get my heart in rhythm. My parents also have had heart problems and heart surgeries. I did not lie on the test. Could these medical issues and history of heart problems affect my polygraph?

[George W. Maschke]

Jeff,

While it's possible that your history of heart problems had some influence on the outcome of your polygraph "test," you need to bear in mind that polygraphy has no scientific basis to begin with. Ultimately, there is little to be gained from trying to divine why an invalid procedure yielded an erroneous result. See our book, The Lie Behind the Lie Detector for a thorough debunking of polygraphy:

https://antipolygraph.org/lie-behind-the-lie-detector.pdf

You'll also see how polygraphy is inherently biased against truth-tellers.

[I am no liar]

Hi....I am going to do a lie detective test. I am absolutey telling the truth. I would like to know if my pacemaker would wrong the results in anyway. Also, I have high blood pressure which is controlled by medication....I suffer on a level 10 with stress...which is again controlled by medication and have read this shouldn't/make any difference.I would just like peace of mind that the results will still match my innocents?

Thanking you

[George W. Maschke]

I am no liar,

There is no research on the effects of pacemakers or blood pressure medication on polygraph results. But it doesn't matter. Polygraph "testing" has no scientific basis to begin with. It's a fraudulent procedure that was concocted by interrogators, not scientists.

My best advice to you is to cancel your lie detector test and not subject yourself to this degrading pseudoscientific ritual.

[John Castellano]

I have a rapidly fluctuating heart BPM Beats Per Minute called atrial Fibrillation or arrhythmia. Will this health condition affect a polygraph test resulting in a false positive response? In Wisconsin, also, they use the Irrelevant/Relevant Questionnaire, sans Control Question.

[Dan Mangan]

John Castellano, I have faced this problem many times, especially when I ran PCSOT exams.

An ethical examiner (please, skip the jokes) will attempt to run enough charts to obtain a sufficient number of scoreable spots, that is to say, spots that are free of distortions.

If that threshold is not met, the official outcome of the test is "no opinion." The examiner's report should list any known (or claimed) conditions that could influence the collection of data, or have any meaningful bearing on the examinee's overall suitability as a polygraph test-taker.

If you are obligated to take a polygraph, say, as part of supervision or treatment, it is highly unlikely that you will be given a free pass.