Lie Detectors
- Thread starter Orleander
- Start date
why would they be? They aren't even scientifically proven as accurate.
No? My mistake. I was under the impression that they were considering how many law enforcement agencies use them.
I know. They can't even be admitted as evidence in a trial.
Interesting. Well then I guess I'd still take it because
1. I'm innocent.
2. My willingness to take the test might give the prosecutor or law enforcement official a better opinion of me.
3. Ideally the evidence would confirm my innocence regardless of the test results.
1. I'm innocent.
2. My willingness to take the test might give the prosecutor or law enforcement official a better opinion of me.
3. Ideally the evidence would confirm my innocence regardless of the test results.
That could actually be possible. Focusing on something else than the question might as well make a person able to answer the question (trutfully or lie) but accompany the answer with the physical reaction to something truthful (ie. movements of the sphincter muscle, but it could probably be any other part of the body, as long as it is not externally visible).
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygraph:
Asked how he passed the polygraph test, Ames explained that he sought advice from his Soviet handler and received the simple instruction to: "Get a good night's sleep, and rest, and go into the test rested and relaxed. Be nice to the polygraph examiner, develop a rapport, and be cooperative and try to maintain your calm."
Asked how he passed the polygraph test, Ames explained that he sought advice from his Soviet handler and received the simple instruction to: "Get a good night's sleep, and rest, and go into the test rested and relaxed. Be nice to the polygraph examiner, develop a rapport, and be cooperative and try to maintain your calm."
"What is commonly called « lie detector » is actually a polygraph that
essentially measures four parameters : heart rate, blood pressure,
respiration, and sweating (see the image at the bottom). The variation of
these parameters may be associated with some emotions but the question is
highly controversial. To my opinion, what should be clear is that the
polygraph measures the parameters mentioned above but not in any way
whether a person is telling the truth or not. Moreover, the output from a
polygraph may fail to detect real emotions (ex. fear) behind lying.
Indeed, a 1983 report by the Office of Technology Assessment concluded
that polygraphs are not an effective scientific method to check for
security breaches. I also think that having “false positive” is very
dangerous: a person may tell the truth while being highly stressed by the
situation. According to Alan P. Zelicoff (physicist at the Center for
National Security and Arms Control at Sandia National Laboratories in
Albuquerque, New Mexico): there are “tremendous cynicism and doubt about
the utility of the test in both management and technical staff.”
To answer your question more precisely, there are no study that have used
PET or fMRI as a “lie detector”. On the other hand, some people think that
it would yield better results than the polygraph because there are growing
evidence that certain parts of the brain are involved with emotions
(discussed briefly in Holden, 2001). On the other hand, one must remember
that emotions does not necessarily mean truth or lie although it may be
indicative in some cases."
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2001-07/994841079.Ns.r.html
essentially measures four parameters : heart rate, blood pressure,
respiration, and sweating (see the image at the bottom). The variation of
these parameters may be associated with some emotions but the question is
highly controversial. To my opinion, what should be clear is that the
polygraph measures the parameters mentioned above but not in any way
whether a person is telling the truth or not. Moreover, the output from a
polygraph may fail to detect real emotions (ex. fear) behind lying.
Indeed, a 1983 report by the Office of Technology Assessment concluded
that polygraphs are not an effective scientific method to check for
security breaches. I also think that having “false positive” is very
dangerous: a person may tell the truth while being highly stressed by the
situation. According to Alan P. Zelicoff (physicist at the Center for
National Security and Arms Control at Sandia National Laboratories in
Albuquerque, New Mexico): there are “tremendous cynicism and doubt about
the utility of the test in both management and technical staff.”
To answer your question more precisely, there are no study that have used
PET or fMRI as a “lie detector”. On the other hand, some people think that
it would yield better results than the polygraph because there are growing
evidence that certain parts of the brain are involved with emotions
(discussed briefly in Holden, 2001). On the other hand, one must remember
that emotions does not necessarily mean truth or lie although it may be
indicative in some cases."
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2001-07/994841079.Ns.r.html
I would if the polygraph were administered by an independent organization that my lawyer approved. The biggest problem with the polygraph is that the results have to be interpreted--if the person who administers it is unbiased and knowledgable there may be as low as a 5% margin of error but if that's not the case the margin of error can be as high 50% or higher (in other words no better than flipping a coin).
The National Academies of Science evaluation (in 2003) found that in a hypothetical population of 10,000 examinees for gov't positions that includes 10 spies
http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309084369
The National Academies of Science evaluation (in 2003) found that in a hypothetical population of 10,000 examinees for gov't positions that includes 10 spies
http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309084369
I think this is a no-win situation.
If I don't take the test, I will look suspicious. Even though the polygraph test is not mandatory, not taking it makes a person look suspicious. I doubt the jurors can really forget something just because the judge said "strike that from the record".
If I do take the test, I am quite sure that I would be so uncomfortable that all of my answers would look like lies, even when they'd ask me whether I have a head or not.
Either way, I'd lose.
Enmos
Valued Senior Member
That's what the control questions are for. If you have nothing to hide you best take it.
Enmos
Valued Senior Member