The Polygraph and Lie Detection (2003) / Chapter Skim
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Executive Summary
Executive Summary
Pages 1-10
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From page 1... ...
From the charts of those measures in response to questions on a polygraph test, sometimes aided by observations during the polygraph examination, examiners infer a psychological state, namely, whether a person is telling the truth or lying. Polygraph testing is used for three main purposes: event-specific investigations (e.g., after a crime)
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From page 2... ...
The general quality of the evidence for judging polygraph validity is relatively low: the substantial majority of the studies most relevant for this purpose were below the quality level typically needed for funding by the National Science Foundation or the National Institutes of Health. SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE Basic Science Almost a century of research in scientific psychology and physiology provides little basis for the expectation that a polygraph test could have extremely high accuracy.
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From page 3... ...
For example, there is evidence suggesting that truthful members of socially stigmatized groups and truthful examiners who are believed to be guilty or believed to have a high likelihood of being guilty may show emotional and physiological responses in polygraph test situations that mimic the responses that are expected of deceptive individuals. The lack of understanding of the processes that underlie polygraph responses makes it very difficult to generalize from the results obtained in specific research settings or with particular subject populations to other settings or populations, or from laboratory research studies to real-world applications.
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From page 4... ...
Because actual screening applications involve considerably more ambiguity for the examinee and in determining truth than arises in specific-incident studies, polygraph accuracy for screening purposes is almost certainly lower than what can be achieved by specific-incident polygraph tests in the field. The accuracy levels in the four screening simulations in our sample, which include a validation study of the Test for Espionage and Sabotage (TES)
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From page 5... ...
CONCLUSION: 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.
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From page 6... ...
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. Polygraph screening may be useful for achieving such objectives as deterring security violations, increasing the frequency of admissions of such violations, deterring employment applications from potentially poor security risks, and increasing public confidence in national security organizations.
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From page 7... ...
The medical analogy and this difference between medical and security screening underline the wisdom in contexts like that of employee security screening in the DOE laboratories of using positive polygraph screening results if polygraph screening is to be used at all only as triggers for detailed follow-up investigation, not as a basis for personnel action. It also underlines the need to pay close attention to the implications of false negative test results, especially if tests are used that yield a low proportion of positive results.
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From page 8... ...
We recommend an expanded research effort directed at methods for detecting and deterring major security threats, including efforts to improve techniques for security screening. This effort should pursue two major objectives: (1)
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From page 9... ...
The research program should be open to supporting alternative ways of looking at the problems of deterrence and detection because there is no single research approach that clearly holds the most promise for meeting national security objectives. Thus, it might support research ranging from very basic work on fundamental psychological, physiological, social, and organizational processes related to deterring and detecting security threats to applied studies on implementing scientifically rooted methods in practical situations.
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From page 10... ...
It is against this background of continuing controversy that the committee was given the charge to "conduct a scientific review of the research on polygraph examinations that pertain to their validity and reliability, in particular for personnel security screening.' We were also asked to "review other techniques that may be adapted for similar purposes .
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