Polygraph Testing / Lie Detector

A polygraph test or sometimes called a lie detector is a machine that is used to calculate and keep track of a number of physiological variants like blood pressure, respiration rate, heart rate and skin conduction simultaneously. All of this monitoring occurs while an official of some kind asks a series of questions in order to determine whether or not someone is telling lies. Sometimes polygraph testing will also be called a psychophysiological detection of deception or a PDD exam.

Normal polygraph testing usually begins with an interview prior to the actual test in order to introduce the person who will be giving the test and the person who will be taking the test so that a basic comfort level can be established. Some basic information will also be gathered that can be used during the test for what are referred to as ‘control’ questions. An initial polygraph test is done where the person who is being tested is asked to lie on purpose in order to see if the person giving the test was able to determine that the answer was a lie through polygraph testing. Once these tasks have been successfully completed, the actual polygraph testing begins.

Once the polygraph testing starts, the person giving the test will ask questions that pertain to the reason for the lie detector test as well as other questions that are basically immaterial to the matter at hand. Questions that could produce a lie that almost anyone might be tempted to lie about can be asked as well including things like if a person has even stolen anything or if they have ever considered stealing something. The other questions during polygraph testing are all related to the reason the polygraph is being given. All questions are posed alternately in no specific order.

A person has passed their polygraph testing is their biological signs during the test indicated that they were giving the correct answers to relevant questions during the test. If the person undergoing polygraph testing does not answer the questions honestly and suggests that he or she might be guilty of something, the person giving the test will question the subject further in order to draw out information or even an admission of guilt. If a person is most likely guilty of something, the main goal of polygraph testing is to get the subject to admit their guilt or even involvement in whatever has happened.

There is a great deal of controversy when it comes to discussing polygraph testing and the test’s accuracy. Proponents of allowing the results of a polygraph test to be admitted as evidence in a court of law often claim that polygraph testing is over 70% accurate. People who are against the use of polygraph testing claim that such a test can’t be tested for its accuracy.

Polygraph testing is not commonly used in law enforcement, but isolated cases have used the test in order to narrow down a list of suspects or to even frighten a suspect into revealing information. Again, polygraph testing is not believed by many to be authentic evidence and the results are not admissible in a court of law.

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