A review of the polygraph: history, methodology and current status

Abstract

The history of research into psychophysiological measurements as an aid to detecting lying, widely known as the 'lie detector' or polygraph, is the focus of this review. The physiological measurements used are detailed and the debates that exist in regards to its role in the investigative process are introduced. Attention is given to the main polygraph testing methods, namely the Comparative Question Test and the Concealed Information Test. Discussion of these two central methods, their uses and problems forms the basis of the review. Recommendations for future research are made specifically in regards to improving current polygraph technology and exploring the role of the polygraph in combination with other deception detection techniques.

Using a Polygraph System for Evaluation of the Social Desirability Response Bias in Self-Report Measures of Aggression

“…Electrodermal activity does not depend on fluctuations of sympathetic hormones such as norepinephrine and epinephrine as the activity in the sweat-producing eccrine glands is controlled by the levels of postganglionic acetylcholine (Stern et al 2001). Respiratory activity may be even more problematic in this regard as it is affected by both the autonomic and the central nervous system, with the latter allowing an individual to easily bring respiratory activity under voluntary control (Synnott et al 2015).…”

“…Modern polygraph systems are highly deployable, sophisticated, and automated. Most of the criticism of the polygraph procedure raised in the psychophysiological community has been associated with deployment of specific protocols for detection of deception (e.g., Comparative Question Test or the Concealed Information Test; see Synnott et al 2015, for a review). The accuracy of algorithms based on estimation of probability of deception is largely dependent on the specific polygraph examination protocol used, selection bias, assessment of ground truth, differences among examiners, examiner-examinee interactions, and delays in the timing of questions (Slavkovic 2002).…”

“…These statistics can be obtained separately for any type of question and are not based on the response difference between any two given questions (e.g., relevant vs. control). Utilization of these measures during polygraph testing is, thus, protocol-independent and helps avoid major issues that have beset polygraph research in the past (Synnott et al 2015).…”

Development of methodological principles of support-preservation engineering work

“…Thus, in the work [1] systematized information on the leading tendencies of information support of preprint processes. However, the peculiarities of the processing of color images and, accordingly, the information support of this processing have not been addressed in the document.…”

The Deception Clues in Forensic Contexts: The Lie Detection Psychology

“…Some endeavour to reproduce the manual scoring process, an illustration being the Computerized Polygraph System. Its present calculation depends on genuine criminal case information gave by US Secret Service [12] and just uses skin conductance abundancy, the plentifulness of increment in the benchmark of the cardiograph, and joined upper and lower breath line length as information [12,13].…”