Michael Langan, M.D. on Polygraph "Testing"

[George W. Maschke]

Dr. Michael Langan has graciously agreed to allow us to post on AntiPolygraph.org his 1995 article, "The Art of Deception: Polygraph Lie Detection." His criticisms of polygraphy remain valid today, and his article makes a good introduction to the pseudoscience of polygraphy:

https://antipolygraph.org/articles/article-053.shtml

[pailryder]

Mr Maschke

Can I point out that the same issue of the now defunct magazine where Dr. Langan's article originally appeared also featured articles entitled, Adventures in the Porn Store, The Gray Art of John Wayne Gacy, and A Housewife Hooker's Story.  Hardly peer reviewed research.

[George W. Maschke]

pailryder,

Indeed, Dr. Langan's article is not a research article. But it is not presented as such. Rather, he writes for a general audience, drawing on primary sources. And his critique of polygraphy is spot-on.

[T.M. Cullen]

The author sure hit this nail on the head:

"The APA is a professional organization for polygraph examiners who have complete faith in the accuracy of the test. They have their own trade journal Polygraph in which they report scientifically worthless studies and brandish anecdotes of the wonders of their trade. The majority of these members can pride themselves on completing a 6 week to 6 month post- high school training course in the art of polygraphy. They have no formal training in medicine, psychology, physiology, or behavior; the very disciplines on which the testing is based. The majority of them cater to the legal system wherein their economic livelihood depends."


TC

[notguilty1]

The author sure hit this nail on the head:

"The APA is a professional organization for polygraph examiners who have complete faith in the accuracy of the test. They have their own trade journal Polygraph in which they report scientifically worthless studies and brandish anecdotes of the wonders of their trade. The majority of these members can pride themselves on completing a 6 week to 6 month post- high school training course in the art of polygraphy. They have no formal training in medicine, psychology, physiology, or behavior; the very disciplines on which the testing is based. The majority of them cater to the legal system wherein their economic livelihood depends."


TC

I'd like to see an intelligent response to this article from the pros.... I won't hold my breath

[Lethe]

John Reid, the inventor of the Control Question Test claimed 99% accuracy. This is clearly not accurate. [internal citation omitted]

I am going to nominate this for understatement of the year.

I'm sure Mr Reid didn't really believe his own number; he was just saying that to make his creation look really cool.  If perchance he did believe that it is 99% accurate, he must have been smoking something that'd disqualify him for work even at McDonald's.

Now, I do think that Dr Langan is a bit misleading on the way a CQ test works.

The assumption is, that if you are prevaricating, the relevant questions will cause a greater response than the control questions. So if the question "Have you ever been late for an appointment?" (control question) elicits less of an emotive response on the polygraph equipment than "Did you murder and rape your girlfriend?" (relevant question) you have failed the test. And, according to the American Polygraph Association (APA) you are lying. Assuming the subject is innocent, it is fairly obvious that he would respond with more emotional autonomic activity to a question regarding a recently deceased loved one than he would an inquiry about punctuality. Obvious to everyone, that is, but the APA.

He neglects to indicate all of the lies and acting that go into this.  I don't think "are you punctual" would be used as a CT opposite "did you murder and rape your girlfriend?" (and the word "rape", as I understand it, is far too emotionally charged; it elicits responses even in innocent people, so other, less loaded, terms would be used--but this is a minor point).  The polygrapher would make the subject think that if he admits to ever being late to a meeting that they'll assume he did commit the crime, thus heightening the response that the subject will have to the question.

Still, Dr Langan makes some good points and brings together a number of critical comments on the polygraph.  An interesting, albeit imperfectly argued, article.

[T.M. Cullen]

To be fair, however, the author has never attended the 14 week polygraph course, so he might not really know what he is talking about.

TC