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Why Lie Detector Tests Can’t Be Trusted
141–150 of 201 posts
Re: Why Lie Detector Tests Can’t Be Trusted
#142Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sure, but nobody chose a wizard's hat or a dowsing rod, so there must be some cultural significance to it completely beyond my understanding?
Sadly (and incredibly) this is not always true: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADE_651
"as much as US$60,000 each. The Iraqi government is said to have spent £52 million on the devices" - Wow and no one thought hey let's test this baby out before we buy a thousand of them?
Re: Why Lie Detector Tests Can’t Be Trusted
#143I've always looked at the polygraph as not really a lie detector but more so as the person taking it believe their own statements or doesn't get nervous.
Re: Why Lie Detector Tests Can’t Be Trusted
#144Earlier quoted context omitted.
Better to say No and fail the test than say Yes and show consistent polygraphs but still fail the clearance and position.
Lying to the investigator is worse. Ultimately getting a clearance depends on a judgement call from several people. Answering truthfully to a very open ended question like that is not necessarily a dealbreaker. More targeted followup questions may be worse. Stuff like acting on impulses, doing stuff that you could be blackmailed for, seeking out materials, etc... People see questions on the forms and think that answe…
yes, these are factors.
now lets address how the federal government exempted itself in being able to use lie detector tests for employment when we know it doesn't work
the point is that the rationale is flawed. "but muh blackmail" yeah the ENTIRE private sector wanted to use that excuse too.
Re: Why Lie Detector Tests Can’t Be Trusted
#145I passed my NSA polygraph, though it was uncomfortable. However my psych interviewer was able to get disqualifying info out of me using just technique. It was only years later while reading a book about the Shin Bet (Israeli military intelligence), I recognized the way I was manipulated. No hard feelings, after all I was telling the truth, and I probably would have hated the job anyway.
What sort of disqualifying info, if you don't mind my asking? There were a lot of interesting questions in the psych interview, from porn use to romantic relationships and digital pirating... And, just spitballing, I wonder if it's a crime to lie in the psych interview. I know it is during the polygraph, since the examiners are federal investigators.
What's interesting though is that a failed polygraph reading isn't sufficient to charge someone with lying to investigators because they would have to prove a polygraph is correct beyond a reasonable doubt. Furthermore, they wouldn't ask you a question they already know the answer to. For example, if they ask you, have you ever done drugs in the past, you wouldn't be there if they already knew the answer was yes.
Re: Why Lie Detector Tests Can’t Be Trusted
#146How is this not a joke? I get the comments that it's an "enhanced interrogation technique", but it sounds like it requires the subjects to be at least a bit intimidated by it. If someone pointed a dowsing stick at you, you wouldn't be the slightest bit intimidated by it, no matter how mean looking it was. What kind of strange culture lets a prop straight out of a 50s sci-fi flick instill respect in people? And how th…
The reason why we settled on the polygraph and not something else is because of William Marston. He invented the early polygraph after noticing his wife’s blood pressure rose when she was angry. He also created Wonder Woman who carries a whip that makes people tell the truth. In the 1930’s he wrote a book advocating for the use of the polygraph by law enforcement. Gillette hired him for an advertising campaign to “prove” they had better razors. The public started to believe in it’s effectiveness which allowed it to start coercing confessions.
We might as well be determining guilt and innocence with a block of Kryptonite or by flipping a batarang. It’s ridiculous that it is still allowed.
Re: Why Lie Detector Tests Can’t Be Trusted
#147Polygraphs aren’t really used for lie detection. Think of it as a tool for an enhanced interview. It allows for the interviewer to have many more dimensions of straws to grasp at in assessing you. “Lies” are assessed as anomalous readings measured against control questions. This is something polygraphers are open about and inform you of the control stage during the start. Afterwards, it’s all really an internal battl…
Knowing this, it seems like it would be very easy to throw them off your lying scent. I've had a few experiences in my past that, when brought to memory, cause fairly large adrenaline spikes. Certainly, the memories increase my heart rate by just thinking intently about them. In theory... couldn't you bring these thoughts to memory - at random? When asked about what you had for breakfast, for example. It would appear…
Sure if what you lied about is a big deal. The polygraph room is purposefully sound-dampened. I remember being able to abnormally hear more of my body (heartbeat, saliva, etc) in the room. What I'm getting at is that during a polygraph, it's very doubtful you're going to be daydreaming while undergoing a 4-5hr long interview lol. If you want to know how to 'cheat' the polygraph - I'll tell you.
There's no magic to it, you just have to really not give a shit about anything really. In the context of the US government, they want workers that are first and foremost, resilient to manipulation. Historically, the biggest traitors in the country have been money-driven, hence the emphasis on identifying huge debt areas. Such debt can be leveraged against people easily. The other thing to consider is, do you think they want someone that's too honest? What about in the scenario that you're being interrogated by a foreign agency, you're telling the truth but you're sweating balls. A polygrapher can latch onto these signs and use them against you. And someone that's emotionless and doesn't really give a shit about anything good or bad? Pass the polygraph with flying colors, have fun swaying someone that can't be bought off nor exempts guilt.
Re: Why Lie Detector Tests Can’t Be Trusted
#148Earlier quoted context omitted.
Possible, but how can you know for sure, if you were not there?
The parent poster is correct. This is a standard practice for polygraph interviews. The pick one question, more or less at random, and double/triple/quadruple down on it until you break. Or don't. I got "have you ever committed a crime" (and after a actually pretty cool conversation about filesharing vs recording songs off the radio with a tape recorder, I passed). A friend of mine got "have you ever had sex with ani…
Oh, man. I would so much rather get the animal question. For the crime question I'd just be sitting there reaching my brain about what level of teenage transgressions I'm supposed to come clean about...
Re: Why Lie Detector Tests Can’t Be Trusted
#149Re: Why Lie Detector Tests Can’t Be Trusted
#150Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why were you taking a polygraph? Just curious.
Some jobs require it. Not even super-secret top-hacker men-behind-the-curtain type of operations. If you wanna be a senior sys admin for bed bath and beyond, you 'll be probably getting one.
> If you wanna be a senior sys admin for bed bath and beyond, you 'll be probably getting one.
How does that clear the Employee Polygraph Protection Act?