NCJ Number
36973
Date Published
1978
Length
32 pages
Annotation
THIS PROJECT PROVIDES INFORMATION CONCERNING THE VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF POLYGRAPH TECHNIQUES IN THE DETECTION OF TRUTH AND DECEPTION WITH CRIMINAL SUSPECTS.
Abstract
IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH THE AIMS OF THIS PROJECT, EIGHT EXPERIMENTS AND STUDIES WERE CONDUCTED. THIS REPORT GIVES A GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE METHODOLOGY OF EACH EXPERIMENT AND STUDY. SOME STUDIES USED CRIMINAL SUSPECTS IN A FIELD SITUATION, OTHERS INVOLVED LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS WITH A MOCK-CRIME PARADIGM. THESE EXPERIMENTS INVESTIGATED A NUMBER OF ASPECTS OF THE GENERAL PROBLEMS OF ACCURACY AND RELIABILITY WHICH COULD NOT BE EASILY STUDIED IN THE FIELD SITUATION. THEY ALSO ASSESSED THE USEFULNESS OF A NUMBER OF PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURES WHICH HAD PREVIOUSLY RECEIVED LITTLE ATTENTION IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. FINALLY, SEVERAL STUDIES WERE UNDERTAKEN TO EVALUATE THE COMMONLY HELD BELIEF THAT PSYCHOPATHS CAN 'BEAT THE POLYGRAPH,' THE ADEQUACY OF CURRENT PRACTICES BY FIELD POLYGRAPHISTS, THE USEFULNESS OF DIFFERENT QUESTION STRUCTURES IN POLYGRAPH EXAMINATIONS, AND THE RISKS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF ERRORS IN FIELD APPLICATIONS. THE RESULTS OF THIS PROJECT CLEARLY INDICATE THAT POLYGRAPH EXAMINATIONS UTILIZING CONTROL-QUESTION OR GUILTY KNOWLEDGE TESTS ARE HIGHLY ACCURATE. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)