The Polygraph and Lie Detection [Hardcover]

Committee to Review the Scientific Evidence on the Polygraph (Author), National Research Council (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0309084369 | ISBN-13: 978-0309084369 | Publication Date: January 24, 2003

The polygraph, often portrayed as a magic mind-reading machine, is still controversial among experts, who continue heated debates about its validity as a lie-detecting device. As the nation takes a fresh look at ways to enhance its security, can the polygraph be considered a useful tool? "The Polygraph and Lie Detection" puts the polygraph itself to the test, reviewing and analyzing data about its use in criminal investigation, employment screening, and counter-intelligence. The book looks at: The theory of how the polygraph works and evidence about how deceptiveness - and other psychological conditions - affect the physiological responses that the polygraph measures. Empirical evidence on the performance of the polygraph and the success of subjects' countermeasures. The actual use of the polygraph in the arena of national security, including its role in deterring threats to security. The book addresses the difficulties of measuring polygraph accuracy, the usefulness of the technique for aiding interrogation and for deterrence, and includes potential alternatives - such as voice-stress analysis and brain measurement techniques.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

The polygraph, often portrayed as a magic mind-reading machine, is still controversial among experts, who continue heated debates about its validity as a lie-detecting device. As the nation takes a fresh look at ways to enhance its security, can the polygraph be considered a useful tool?

The Polygraph and Lie Detection puts the polygraph itself to the test, reviewing and analyzing data about its use in criminal investigation, employment screening, and counter-intelligence.
The book looks at:

• The theory of how the polygraph works and evidence about how deceptiveness—and other psychological conditions—affect the physiological responses that the polygraph measures.
• Empirical evidence on the performance of the polygraph and the success of subjects’ countermeasures.
• The actual use of the polygraph in the arena of national security, including its role in deterring threats to security.
  

The book addresses the difficulties of measuring polygraph accuracy, the usefulness of the technique for aiding interrogation and for deterrence, and includes potential alternatives—such as voice-stress analysis and brain measurement techniques.

About the Author

Committee to Review the Scientific Evidence on the Polygraph, National Research Council

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: National Academies Press (January 24, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0309084369
• ISBN-13: 978-0309084369
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,355,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars be aware of the limitations, April 22, 2006

By 

W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Polygraph and Lie Detection (Hardcover)

The National Research Council published this book as a summary of what is known scientifically about polygraphs. While they are famous to the general public, this is also accompanied by extensive misunderstandings that have been part of the cultural folklore. (Mythology might be a stronger word.)

Reading the book will give you an appreciation of the scientific foundations and limitations of a polygraph. You might well find that some chapters leave you confused, because there is necessarily no conclusive summary. But if so, it reflects fairly the current level of knowledge. It also explains why several American states, like California, ban polygraph evidence as unreliable.

A very interesting passage is on the countermeasures that astute subjects can take. These can largely nullify the value of any measurements on them.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Latest research on the limitations of polygraphs in the new security environment, June 21, 2006

By 

Gary Denton "Liberal Anti-Authoritarian" (Pasadena, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Polygraph and Lie Detection (Hardcover)

There are a lot of myths about lie detectors. This book explores them scientifically and points out their limitations.

I will get polygraph personnel say they get 95% or 99% success rates. However, twenty-four studies found correct detection of guilt ranging from 35% to 100%. Overall, 83% of guilty subjects were diagnose as "deceptive," as were 43% of innocent subjects.


The earliest lie detector was from China where suspects were given rice to chew and then spit out. If the rice was dry they were too nervous to form saliva and were guilty. The problem is about half the innocent people were too scared to get the rice wet and some brazen criminals weren't scared. The same problem exists today.

Lie detectors are especially unreliable for truthful people. Many more innocent people test as "deceptive" than guilty people test as "innocent." Those who run a special risk include people who get upset if someone accuses them of something they didn't do, people with short tempers, people who tend to feel guilty anyway, and people not accustomed to having their word questioned. All of these feelings can change heart rate, breathing, and perspiration and their heightened feelings are easily confused with guilt.

According to one researcher, one prison inmate, who became the jail-house polygraph expert after studying the literature, trained twenty-seven fellow inmates in the seat techniques; twenty-three beat the polygraph tests used to investigate violations of prison rules.

It takes more time to learn to be a barber than it does to get a polygraph license. Federal agents are better trained but as of 2006 this has resulted in agencies not recognizing other agencies results and an underground Washington business for hypnotists and pharmacists for ways to beat the polygraph.

This study after 9/11 considered a test with a theoretical accuracy index of 0.90, if used to detect 80 percent of major security risks, would be expected to falsely judge about 200 innocent people as deceptive for each security risk correctly identified. Unfortunately, polygraph performance in field screening situations is highly unlikely to achieve an accuracy index of 0.90; consequently, the ratio of false positives to true positives is likely to be even higher than 200 when this level of sensitivity is used. Even if the test is set to a somewhat lower level of sensitivity, it is reasonable to expect that each spy or terrorist that might be correctly identified as deceptive by a polygraph test of the accuracy actually achieved in the field would be accompanied by at least hundreds of non-deceptive examinees mislabeled as deceptive.

As the study goes into there are trade-offs you can make - a test that picks up half of the guilty parties may only falsely accuse 20-40 suspects for 1.

It also goes into new methods of lie detection like voice analysis and is a handy primer on the current state of the art.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent EvRule 702 reference, June 14, 2009

By 

Charles H. Knight "mystery court" (SE Ohiio) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Polygraph and Lie Detection (Hardcover)

I made extensive use of this text on cross-examination of the State's "expert" on polygraphs in a murder prosecution in Ohio. The failure of that expert to recognize the limitations of the procedure , especially in the lack of verifiable results, made her testimony that my client had failed a "stipulated" polygraph inadmissible in the trial of that murder.
This NAS text is invaluable examination of polygraph experts