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"The problem with the polygraph is, quite frankly, it works too
well! If one is being deceptive, his or her own autonomic nervous system
will simply give them up against one's will; the parasympathetic will be to
late, as the sympathetic has already triggered!"
Adj. Professor Michael J. Woodrow (1/08)
It is my scientific and professional opinion that properly conducted
polygraph examinations have an accuracy rate that exceeds 90%. Furthermore,
the confidence in a polygraph result indicating truthfulness is
approximately 95%.
Prof. David E. Raskin
A compelling case can be made to support the scientific validity of
polygraph tests. Studies already show that polygraph results are as sound as
other, admissible forms of forensic evidence, such as ballistics and hair
fiber analysis.
Dr. Charles Honts (Editor of The Journal of Credibility Assessment and
Witness Psychology)
The American Polygraph Association has a compendium of research studies
available on the validity and reliability of polygraph testing. The 80
research projects listed, published since 1980, involved 6,380 polygraph
examinations or sets of charts from examinations. Researchers conducted 12
studies of the validity of field examinations, following 2, 174 field
examinations, providing an average accuracy of 98%.
The American Polygraph Association
The American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM) developed the following for
the psycho-physiological detection of deception; i.e, 90% and above accuracy:
• E 2000, Standard Guide for Minimum Basic Education and Training of
Individuals Involved in the Detection of Deception PDD (1998); and
• E 2064, Standard Guide for Minimum Continuing Education of Individuals
Involved in the Psychophysiological Detection of Deception PDD (2000)
ASTM
U.S. Government studies have concluded that the single-issue (one question)
polygraph exam, conducted properly by a qualified examiner, is up to 95
percent accurate.
Special Agent FBI Jack Trimarco (Ret.)
One of the believers is convicted pedophile Paul Duncan. He told the Wall
Street Journal the test was able to determine he was nervous and lying
because he had violated his parole by viewing pornography online. "Don't
believe anyone who tells you polygraph doesn't work,” he told the newspaper.
Inmate Paul Duncan (convicted pedophile)
Mr. Chimarys, who has a law degree and a master's degree in psychology and
is retired from the (NCIS) Naval Criminal Investigative Service, estimates
the machines have an accuracy rate exceeding 90 percent.
Mike Chimarys, chairman of the Texas Association of Polygraph
90 percent is the figure accepted for accuracy by the academy for most
tests.
Donald Krapohl, special assistant to the director of the federal
government's (DACA) Defense Academy for Credibility Assessment
Studies by the National Academy of Sciences found that the tests are wrong
about 10 percent of the time, either falsely implicating truth-tellers or
failing to detect liars. (Thus, a 90% accuracy rate; 10% failure on the
examiners interpretation? That said, the NAS study is often criticized by
most professionals in the field of psycho-physiology)
NAS Study 2001
"We have people in the scientific community who look at the same research
that I look at and they reach a conclusion that is quite different," Horvath
said. "From their point of view, they allege that polygraph testing is
probably only around 70 percent accurate, and it has a great bias against
truthful people. Then, what the proponents say, looking at the same
research, they reach a quite different conclusion, and that is that
polygraph testing exceeds 90 percent accuracy."
Dr. Frank Horvath
"I've tested many psychopaths and killers, and when they lie, they all flunk
the test!"
Dr. Charles Honts (Editor of The Journal of Credibility Assessment and
Witness Psychology)
Dr. Robert Hare, a world-renowned expert in the study and identification of
psychopaths led a research team to conduct a mock-crime laboratory study
using the polygraph with prisoners who were clinically diagnosed as
psychopaths and non-psychopaths in British Columbia, Canada. Accuracy of
the non-psychopath group was 95% whereas, the psychopath group was slightly
higher with 95.8%. That said, NO ONE WAS ABLE TO BEAT TEST.
Dr. Louis Rovner
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, joined by Justices Sandra Day
O'Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Stephen Breyer, said a future case may
show convincing reasons to allow polygraph results in court.
United States v. Sheffer
I caught a Czech double agent who had been trained to beat the polygraph. I
tested and identified another of Ames' (Aldrich Ames) agents who turned out
to be a double agent. In the book, I also cite a test in which one of my
colleagues caught a Bloc agent who had applied to work for the CIA.
John Sullivan (CIA retired)
"I know they'll scare the hell out of people." (Thoughts on the polygraph)
President Richard Nixon
I advised Dr. Laskey that incidents in which spies have been caught through
polygraph are a matter of public record, specifically, Sharon Scranage and
Jim Nicholson. There are others, but those two were featured in The
Washington Post stories.
John Sullivan (CIA retired)
Reading:
'Psychological Methods in Criminal Investigation and Evidence,' by David
Raskin (Springer, 1989).
'Modern Scientific Evidence,' Faigman, et. al. (West, 1997).
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