| The Polygraph Examination Process
How Long Will
The Polygraph Examination Take? The polygraph examination process will usually take two to three hours to complete, depending on the complexity of the issue of the examination and the level of cooperation from the one receiving a polygraph examination. Most of this period of time will be spent in a conversation between the examiner and the person receiving the polygraph examination, which normally lasts from 45 to 90 minutes. The actual testing phase of the polygraph examination is only a fraction of that time. This initial discussion between the examiner and the examinee is conducted in a non-accusatory and objective manner. Prior to any of the questions being written or the instrument being attached to the body of the examinee, the examiner and examinee will talk about the examinee’s background information and the examinee’s medical history, and the examiner will answer any questions that the examinee may have about the examination process. Once the examiner has visited with the examinee about his or her background, and about the issue of the examination, the questions will then be written. The questions are not written in advance because the circumstances for which the examination is being requested will be unique. The examiner will explain the testing procedures to the examinee, and will highlight the purposes of the various components of the instrument so that the examinee will understand the process and know what to expect during the test. Once the examiner discusses the questions that will be asked with the examinee and explains the polygraph instrument, the examiner will attach the components of the instrument to the examinee. A minimum of three and a maximum of five charts, or tests, will be conducted, averaging approximately 5 minutes each. Conducting a minimum of three examinations increases the accuracy and reliability of the examination. A separate chart that is not scored may be ran prior to the actual examination being given to allow the examinee to understand of what it feels like to have the instrument components attached to the body, and to allow the examiner to determine the response capability of the examinee. How Many Questions Will Be Asked
During An Examination? The number of questions asked during a polygraph examination will vary, depending on the type of test structure that the examiner decides to use based on the issue to be resolved. The number of questions, with the exception being pre employment polygraph examinations, may vary from 9 to 13 questions per chart. Once the testing/ examination process is completed, time is required for the examiner to analyze the tracings that are recorded by the components of the polygraph instrument. There will be no surprise questions asked during the examination. Prior to the examination, the examiner will read the questions word for word as they will be asked during the test. The examinee will also be asked to answer each of the questions with a yes or no answer only prior to the examination being conducted. As a result of this discussion of the questions, the examinee will have been told the actual test questions word for word, and the examiner will know the examinee’s answers to each question before the test begins. What Kinds Of Questions Will Be
Asked On The Polygraph Examination? There will be no surprise questions asked during a polygraph examination. Every question that the examinee is asked during an examination will have been discussed with the examinee prior to the test being conducted. The number of questions that will be asked during a polygraph examination, with the exception of pre employment polygraph examinations will range from 9 to 13 questions per test. The number of questions will vary depending on which test structure the examiner decides to use based on the circumstances of the situation and on the issue to be resolved. Some of the questions will be questions that all examinees should answer truthfully, while other questions will be related to the issue to be resolved and concerning similar matters. All questions will be based on past factual information, and no questions will be asked that would require an interpretation or opinion. Putting all of these questions together, the examiner can usually make a determination as to whether or not the examinee has been truthful about the reason he or she is taking a polygraph examination. All of the questions asked of the examinee will require a yes or no answer only and there should be no discussion during the test. The examinee will know all of the questions that will be asked and the examiner will know all of the examinee’s answers to those questions prior to the test. A consistent set of values are used to analyze the physiological tracings on the chart in response to questioning. When appropriate, the examiner will offer the examinee an opportunity to explain significant physiological responses to certain questions. Questions related to the following topics will not be asked during an examination, unless those issues are directly related to the issue to be resolved. • religious beliefs or affiliations The examiner will not ask questions that would require interpretation or a subjective opinion. Questions such as, “Do you plan on selling drugs…” or “Would you have hurt Suzie if she did not…” will not be asked. Questions that may allow for rationalization are not asked, such as “On January 5th, did you buy cocaine from an undercover police officer,” and questions such as, “Did you take the $437.54 from the cash register,” are pretty specific and might allow for rationalization in the mind of the examinee. Once a pre test discussion is conducted, which can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours, the examinee and examiner will be familiar with the particular issue of concern and case facts, unless the examiner deliberately leaves certain facts out of the discussion. As a result of the discussion of the case facts, questions can be worded such as, “On or about January 5th, did you take any or all of the reported missing money from…?” Will Nervousness Affect The Results
Of The Polygraph Examination? No two persons who take a polygraph examination will respond the same to questioning during the examination, or even while sitting quietly with or without the examiner talking. The polygraph instrument allows for sensitivity adjustments to be made before a test and when beginning an examination. The polygraph examiner also takes into consideration the examinee’s normal physiological activity during the examination and when analyzing the results of the examination. The polygraph examiner will consider significant changes from the examinee’s own normal physiological tracing patterns when analyzing the responses to questioning. The polygraph examiner does not base an opinion by comparing the examinee’s responses to any predetermined physiological baseline that would be applied across the board for all examinees. The use of comparison or earlier in life questions, in combination with questions that should always be answered truthfully are used to determine the examinee’s normal physiological activity which is recorded with the polygraph instrument. A “get acquainted test” may be conducted prior to the actual examination to allow the examiner to determine the examinee’s capability of a response to a known lie, and allows the examiner to adjust the instrument to the examinee’s physiology, and determine what responses are typical during lies and truths told by the examinee. If I Am Not Being Truthful, Can
I "Beat" A Polygraph Examination? Physical countermeasures are a deliberate manipulation of a part of the body in an attempt to affect the data recorded with the polygraph instrument. If the examinee is found to be attempting countermeasures, the polygraph examination will be concluded and no refund of the cost of the examination or travel will be given. There are many suggested countermeasure attempts available on the internet today. Most if not all countermeasure attempts are readily identifiable due to the inappropriate and abnormal tracings recorded with the polygraph instrument. The use of an activity sensor that detects inappropriate movement of the examinee also helps identify countermeasure attempts. Contraction of the anal sphincter, contractions of the thighs, manipulating the galvanic skin resistance plates (GSR plates), pushing the foot on the floor, biting of the tongue and placing a tack in the shoe are all countermeasure attempts. Countermeasures are rarely done by someone who is being truthful and are expected only by someone who is in all probability being deceptive. Intentional movements by an examinee will in most cases result in tracing distortions, rather than the typical normal truthful or deceptive physiological responses recorded during an examination. The tracing movement will often lack either sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous system activation indicating the absence of psychological origin and therefore appear as a deliberate movement made by the examinee. An activity sensor will be used during most of the examinations conducted and this sensor records movements of the examinee. When the sensitivity of this activity sensor is set to a high setting, it can detect the heartbeat and breathing of the examinee. If an examinee flexed their thigh, pushed their toes into the floor, or flexed the anal sphincter, the movement would be recorded with the activity sensor. Prior to a polygraph examination being conducted, the examiner will tell the examinee to refrain from any movement, and to keep both feet flat on the floor and to only answer with a yes or no. This testing phase of the process only lasts a couple of minutes per test conducted. An innocent and truthful examinee will normally be very cooperative, and will not want to do anything to interfere with the examiner obtaining clear, readable charts. It is probably safe to say that it is only the guilty or deceptive subject that does not want the instrument to produce clear and accurate charts, knowing his or her deception will be revealed to the examiner. Attempts to distort the chart, even if done discretely in an attempt to fool the examiner, are red flags in that only a guilty or deceptive subject would deliberately violate instructions and intentionally make subtle or distinct movements. I have repeatedly made attempts to manipulate the polygraph chart readings using a multitude of countermeasure attempts, keeping in mind that one must be able to control blood pressure, pulse rate, breathing patterns and sweat activity simultaneously. It is very difficult for such movements to produce normally looking physiological responses recorded by the instrument, and in the vast majority of the attempts, the response will result in distortions of at least one of the other tracings. For example, the concentration required for smooth movements often times is readily detected in the examinee’s breathing pattern due to the divided attention required. Distortions stand out on the charts as movements, and even slight movements such as anal sphincter contractions are detectable through chart interpretation and with the activity sensor placed in the chair of the examinee. Creating physiological distortions can be accomplished, but creating the appearance of a normal physiological response at exactly the correct time and reducing the response in a smooth manner is extremely difficult. Even more difficult is suppressing physiological responses that are recorded when a deceptive examinee responds untruthfully to a question during a polygraph examination. Studies have been conducted to determine if those trained with biofeedback (those who receive training to voluntarily control a specific physiological process) and hypnosis can reduce the physiological responses which would reveal their deception. Dr. James Allen Matte explains in detail these studies in his book, Forensic Psychophysiology using the Polygraph. What a subject knows at the conscious level, he or she will also be aware of at more of an unconscious level and still show signs of deception, while a deceptive subject who is awake will not produce truthful response recordings as a result of a post-hypnotic suggestion. Biofeedback training can help someone control long-term responses, but it is extremely doubtful that such training can assist an examinee to be successful in controlling or suppressing short-term responses when the subject is fearful of his or her deception being detected by the examiner during a polygraph examination. Can The Examiner Always Develop
An Opinion Of Truth Or Deception? There are some cases where the examiner will not make a determination of the truthfulness of a person answering the questions on a test. A numerical scoring system, in which a consistent set of values are used to describe the observable physiological responses on the charts, allows the examiner to objectively make a determination of truth or deception. Using a numerical scoring system, there is a buffer that exists to separate what would be referred to as a deceptive chart from a truthful chart. If after analyzing and scoring the chart, the examiner finds that the examinee’s results fall within this range, which can be considered a neutral zone, the examiner will render no opinion about the truthfulness of the examinee. If a person has recently had a fight with their spouse, for example, or is extremely tired, the examinee may be thinking more about the fight than the questions asked during the examination, or is unable to concentrate due to being deprived of sleep. Situations such as these can often be detected, and if the examiner believes that the examinee is not in the condition to take an examination, postponing the examination is the wise choice. This is, however, a possible reason for having a test result in which the examiner will not render an opinion as to the examinee’s truthfulness. Having the examinee take another polygraph examination at a later date may allow the examiner to make a determination based on the results of the second examination, allowing the examinee to get more sleep or allow time for the examinee to resolve a bothersome outside issue. Who Receives The Results Of The
Polygraph Examination? Polygraph results can be released only to authorized persons. Generally those individuals who can receive test results are the examinee, and anyone specifically designated in writing by the examinee, the person, firm, corporation or governmental agency which requested the examination and others as may be required by due process of law.
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