The Lie Behind the Lie Detector

AntiPolygraph.org ^ | August 18, 2003 | George W. Maschke and Gino J. Scalabrini

[George Maschke]

The 3rd edition of AntiPolygraph.org's free e-book, The Lie Behind the Lie Detector, is now on-line and may be downloaded as a 1 mb PDF file here:

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

This new, revised and expanded edition includes updated chapters on polygraph validity, policy, and procedure, as well as detailed information on how to pass (or beat) a polygraph test.

It will be of interest to anyone who may some day face a polygraph examination, whether in the context of a criminal investigation, or as a requirement for employment with a government agency or contractor.

[Lazamataz]

Cool beans! I've always heard bad things about these bad things.

[VRWCmember]

Cool beans! I've always heard bad things about these bad things.

Liar! Prove it!

[Lazamataz]

Liar! Prove it!

(hooking myself up to a lie-detector....)

[najida]

I always thought Tequila Shooters were more effective.

[blackdog]

Question #1 for a lie detector test.......

Are you capable of creating an alternate personality at will?

A clean "Yes" answer shall invalidate any further questions.

[VRWCmember]

(hooking myself up to a lie-detector....)

I'm breathless, awaiting your posting of the results.

[Lazamataz]

Question #1: Are you capable of creating an alternate personality at will?

Answer #1: Hell's bells! I'm capable of creating alternate realities at will!

Results #1: Subject telling truth.

[Lazamataz]

Statement by VRWCmember: I'm breathless

Results: Subject is lying. Subject is gasping for air, similar to Subject H.R. Clinton.

[VRWCmember]

Results: Subject is lying. Subject is gasping for air, similar to Subject H.R. Clinton.

Your results don't look so good either:

(ignore the legend and the titles on the printout of Laz's polygraph test above)

[blackdog]

Remember that episode of Barney Miller where internal affairs puts the precinct on "The Box"(that internal affairs guy was great on that show!)

The one detective(Steve Something...) who was a genius and sort of ignored by the rest of the detectives explained that he was from another planet on the box. He was the last to be tested and since his resulting birth origin could not be true, the whole precinct's tests were tossed.

[Lazamataz]

Statement by Subject VRWCmember: "Your results don't look so good either"

Results: Subject is lying. Laz's results are peachy keen.

[Lazamataz]

The one detective(Steve Something...) who was a genius and sort of ignored by the rest of the detectives explained that he was from another planet on the box. He was the last to be tested and since his resulting birth origin could not be true, the whole precinct's tests were tossed.

I *loved* that character. His nonchalant genius was truly hilarious. One episode, a college student had put put together, for his college thesis, a nuclear bomb minus the plutonium core. The whole precinct was abuzz with "This ain't real!" "No way could this be anything more than junk!" and even a bomb expert was called in, and his verdict: "This is a pile of parts that wouldn't ever work."

Well, Steve comes in, and walks by the device. Without barely casting it a look, he nonchalantly says "Hey, where'd you get the nuclear bomb?"

[George Maschke]

Here's a sample of an actual polygraph chart, in case you're interested. The tracings, from top to bottom, are 1) thoracic breathing; 2) abdominal breathing; 3) galvanic skin response (a function of perspiration); and 4) cardiovascular activity:

[VMI70]

I've never forgotten what Senator Sam Ervin said, during the Watergate hearings, about the lie detector:

"...Twentieth century witchcraft..."

[Lazamataz]

I assume the red dots are called lies and the green dots are truths?

I cannot tell the difference in the results. This is similar to divining by rod for water, no?

[.cnI redruM]

The statistics are similar to those involved in urine tests. They can program it to avoid false positives, which means that maybe Bill Clinton could pass. Or they can program it never to miss a lie, which causes it to 'accuse' innocent people. It's not a foolproof device.

[blackdog]

Steve Landesberg, playing Arthur Dietrick in the Barney Miller Show. It ran from 1975 till 82'. An amazing show when you consider it all took place in one room in one act.

Where have all the good writers gone? Iloved the Jackie Mason show during it's brief few month run.

[chadwimc]

All I see is a red "X". Does that mean you failed?

[norraad]

Jackie Mason rules!

Especially when he gets mad!