Polygraph testing: How accurate is the technology?

[Aragon]

What in the world does this have to do with broadband or anything internet related? Are you guys THAT strapped for cash that you have to sell irrelevant PR now?

 

[CorneN]

Easy way to pass a polygraph: Don't lie.

 

[jcorreia]

No dudes, my wife had to go a lie detector to apply for a clothing shop and she almost failed it because of being so nervous, in fact she came out so stressed out of there that we spent a lot of money on destressing her from that horrible experience with an ex-cop... so it's very easy to fail it as someone already pointed out that was falsely accused... this oke sounds like he is advertising his services

 

[eltherza]

Easy way to pass a polygraph: Don't lie.

And with an 80% accuracy rate, you may be 1 in 5 that fail it even though you are innocent. Yes, 1 in 5 test are possibly wrong.

Failing the test will lead to prejudice against you. High risk to do polygraph tests to [current] employees because it's a quick call away from the CCMA getting involved [the company is treating you unfairly and coerced a resignation].

Also, by law, you have to agree to do a polygraph test and must be informed beforehand on the questions that will be asked. Simply disagree - go to the CCMA saying they are being prejudiced to you and you'll be nice and rich when the dust settles.

 

[Avenue]

What in the world does this have to do with broadband or anything internet related? Are you guys THAT strapped for cash that you have to sell irrelevant PR now?

what is everyone complaining about- there are literally hundreds of posts every day that are non broadband related.
mybroadband put out a survey last year asking people what they wanted to hear more of in the news sections- including gadgets, games etc- I would assume this is the implementation of that.
this site is evolving into something bigger and better

 

[Pitbull]

I worked for a company called "Polygraph Centre" just as I started working about 10/11 years ago.

Before we got employed we had to do a Polygraph test. No, noe one would know what it feels like unless you have been through one

The tester has your seat lined up to face a blank wall, the room is quiet and it's only you and the "clean" wall. Just being in that situation already makes you so tense. Then they do the test questions: Is your name so and so, are you sitting on a chair, are you a male and and and. About 10 obvious answers of which about 3 or 4 would be questions which you lie to.

Then the test begins, the questions eco through the room and you have nothing to focus on but your own breathing, your own voice and your sweating hands.

After being employed we actually started seeing people popping happy pills before the polygraphs (Prozak) now how much of an effect it had we have no idea, but we never found anyone lying

 

[Lemon369]

I believe i could really beat one...lol, i'm just shocked how many other's believe the same....if the answers is just a formality, you feel no guilt or attachment to the outcome of the result (meaning, truely come to terms with the likely outcomes) then you could, i've heard the stories of pins or stones in your shoe and press hard on it before every question/answer....dunno, but I would love to be a research candidate for any of these type studies

I believe it's a technology subject...

 

[rpm]

what is everyone complaining about- there are literally hundreds of posts every day that are non broadband related. mybroadband put out a survey last year asking people what they wanted to hear more of in the news sections- including gadgets, games etc- I would assume this is the implementation of that.
this site is evolving into something bigger and better

Thanks for pointing this out Ave: We will continue to carry a wide variety of technology news, and I can announce that we have a few new columnists on board as well. This includes Alastair Otter, Ben Kelly and Russell Bennett – all heavyweight tech journalists with years of experience.

On Topic: I also wonder whether it is possible to beat a polygraph test if you have absolutely no fear about being caught out about an answer. I think it comes down to whether your body always reacts in a certain way when lying – hence have a physical reaction to that brain function. I am however convinced that lie detection works: there is a good reason why intelligence agencies continue to use them extensively.

 

[Creag]

Coen Pretorius, MD of Polygraph SA and a former national intelligence polygraph expert, says that there is currently nothing available to mankind with which the truth can be established that is more reliable.

Voice stress analyser, I have heard, is bullet proof and puts the polygraph on the back foot.

Can be used on a telephone too

 

[LordFoom]

Voice stress analyser, I have heard, is bullet proof and puts the polygraph on the back foot.

Can be used on a telephone too

There is currently NO accurate way to determine if someone is lying with a machine. Anyone trying to sell you on this is a scam artist trying to sell you on pseudoscience.

 

[guest2013-1]

I dont know what this article has to do with broadband/internet in south africa?!?!

Welcome, you must be a new member. This is mybroadband.co.za, where they report on all technology related things occurring in South Africa, even games (mygaming.co.za) as well as active hardware/software forums as well as philosofical debates. I guess if you want only ISP/ADSL related news, you could go to hellkom.co.za

 

[TheRoDent]

Surely by definition, if somebody SUCCESSFULLY manipulated the test, then Pretorius wouldn't know. I mean if he knew about it, then it couldn't have been successful!?!

Hehe, good one.

 

[AnomalyNexus]

Voice stress analyser, I have heard, is bullet proof

Better discard the source you heard that from. There are thousand different reasons why someones voice could show stress. Maybe they just need to go to the bathroom urgently.

“In more than 23 years of examinations I have not ever come across a guilty individual who was successful in manipulating test results and changing the outcome of an investigation,”

Hell, I can name at least on person off the top of my head who beat a professionally applied polygraph: Aldrich Ames passed twice. Test applied by the CIA no less.

There is also a reason why its called a polygraph and not a lie detector. It doesn't detect anything, it just graphs various body functions. The lie detection part is *purely subjective* interpretation.

reliability rate of more than 80%

I wonder how he can live with a 20% false accusation rate.:wtf:

Most of the studies showing 80% reliability were later shown to be flawed anyway.

Coen Pretorius, MD of Polygraph SA

Right. A very independent & objective opinion then. Might as well ask a USN salesman whether USN works.

i've heard the stories of pins or stones in your shoe and press hard on it before every question/answer

No man. That you'd need to do for the control questions only, not all the questions.

 

[K3NS31]

+++++++ to the above

 

[Sensorei]

What about that American talk show host Steve who's an ex cop who interrogates people on his show. He always uses polygraph tests to see who is telling the truth, and if someone fails he gives them 100% hellfire!

 

[JerryMungo]

Voice stress testing is a very dubious practice. This is what Coen had to say about it:

“Why had the federal institutions in the USA stopped using voice pattern results and shelved their voice stress analysis instruments as far back as the mid nineties of the last century? Is it because it had been found equally reliable? No, sir. I spoke to the person who conducted the research the USA government did in this respect. He had found it to be only 38% reliable. No, it need not be explained that if you flipped a coin you would be at 50% if you chose that way of determining if a person should be expelled or fired or incarcerated or jailed. This would be 12 % better.”

Wow... thats pretty serious!

 

[JerryMungo]

No man. That you'd need to do for the control questions only, not all the questions.

ROFL you could do it for all but you'd really look guilty when you squirm on question # 55 because your toes are bleeding.

 

[Spasie]

The Polygraph relies on people believing that it works. Steve, the talk show host, probably scares the Sh*t out of the people before they start. Purse your A*s when they ask the control questions to raise your blood pressure and tense your muscles and they wont get to base one. The thing is totally unreliable unless you believe that it will catch you. The CIA proved it does not work. Nuf said!

 

[Tpex]

One question often asked by people outside the field is whether it is possible to beat a polygraph test. The media often reports that double agents or criminals have passed polygraph tests, but Pretorius said that it is near impossible to trick an experienced polygraph examiner.

“In more than 23 years of examinations I have not ever come across a guilty individual who was successful in manipulating test results and changing the outcome of an investigation,” said Pretorius.

LOL what rock is this guy living under? I know a reccie who can make his hands sweat on demand, on of the many tricks he has learn't to trick a polygraph

Although an interesting article and debate, I too find this largely non-broadband related...

When will people realize that myBB has grown to be more then a forum about broadband? its a forum about technology as a whole and in alot of instances life in SA

 

[Mercury]

Polygraph testing has been used for decades to catch out people who lie, but how accurate is this technology?

The National Academies of Science in the USA had a look at this question. From the Executive Summary;

"Notwithstanding the limitations of the quality of the empirical research and the limited ability to generalize to real-world settings, we conclude that in populations of examinees such as those represented in the polygraph research literature, untrained in countermeasures, specific-incident polygraph tests can discriminate lying from truth telling at rates well above chance, though well below perfection...

Basic science and polygraph research give reason for concern that polygraph test accuracy may be degraded by countermeasures, particularly when used by major security threats who have a strong incentive and sufficient resources to use them effectively. If these measures are effective, they could seriously undermine any value of polygraph security screening...

Its accuracy in distinguishing actual or potential security violators from innocent test takers is insufficient to justify reliance on its use in employee security screening in federal agencies."

Find the complete report at http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309084369