HOW TO PASS THE POLYGRAPH AND HIDE ALL YOUR SECRETS FROM THE POLYGRAPHOLOGIST? WHAT SHOULD YOU DO, WHICH QUESTIONS SHOULD YOU ANSWER TO PASS THIS TEST WITHOUT PROBLEMS?

If you think that a polygraph test will not threaten you, then you may be very seriously mistaken, especially since this device is often used even when applying for a job.

It goes without saying that not everyone wants to tell the truth, which is why there are a lot of ways to outwit a lie detector. By the way, it’s not that difficult, the main thing is to understand the mechanism.

We will now talk about how to keep your secrets to yourself and successfully, hassle-freely pass the polygraph.

Lies are often told in secret in order to find out the truth.
PIERRE BOUSTE

WHAT IS A POLYGRAPH AND HOW TO PASS IT

Some people have created erroneous opinion that it is very easy to fool a lie detector. This begs the question: why is it needed then? But it's not that simple.

Indeed, it is quite possible to complete the test without noticeable biophysical changes (we wrote about the specific history of polygraph deception earlier), but the fact is that for the first twenty minutes you will be asked “calibration” questions, setting up the device individually for you.

So, the same reaction to all questions asked by a specialist, of course, will not harm you, but it will not help you either. Moreover, the test results may be canceled and a new one assigned.

The whole secret is not to keep all emotions under control, but to show the desired reaction to the question at a certain moment. Moreover, this must be done in such a way that the polygraph examiner does not become wary.

WE DECEPTION THE POLYGRAPH

So, you need to evoke inauthentic reactions to simple questions that may generally concern you, and hide these reactions when you need to answer the key ones.

• The first is quite simple to do, just take some external irritant with you - for example, a button in a shoe.


• You can indulge in various thoughts that evoke certain emotions in you.


• Before polygraph testing, you can drink a little alcohol or valerian to calm your nerves,


• You can stay up all night


• You can also drink a lot of liquid so that you need to go to the toilet - and the test results will be as expected.

INCLUDE ARTISTISM

We use all our acting skills. Of course, the most best option, this is high-quality acting according to the Stanislavsky system. The trick is to become so immersed in your lies that you believe them yourself.

Agree, if you believe in a fiction, then for you it is no longer a lie, which means your body will perceive this information as true, and therefore will give the specialist conducting the test the corresponding result.

It goes without saying that for this you simply need to think through all aspects of your deception in advance, so much so that you can discuss this topic for a very long time without inventing the plot along the way, but as if remembering it:

• Add little things into your story, like what the weather was like, what you smelled - just don't overdo it and don't distract from the main topic.


• If you have already decided to deceive the polygraph with the help of acting, then emotions will definitely not be superfluous, they just need to be changed, turning fear into anger, and repentance into humility.

PHYSIOLOGY

Monitoring your blood pressure Now let's move on to blood pressure, which also needs to be monitored.

There are two ways for this:

• contraction of the sphincter muscles,


• biting the tip of the tongue.

Just remember that you need to do this without any additional facial expressions that could give you away.

More, control your breathing- under normal conditions, we inhale no more than once every 2-4 seconds. And it's better not to detain him- there is a risk of increased heart rate.

SECRET #1

Updated: There is a long-standing myth that it is possible to fool a lie detector using a pushpin.

The essence of the deception is this:

1. Place a thumbtack inside your shoe under your foot.


2. When you are asked a security question, for example, “What is your name?”, answer and step on the button.


3. Pain causes a slight surge of emotions and is reflected in the detector readings as if you were telling a lie. Thus, when telling a real lie, the readings on the device will be the same or similar, and it will seem that you are telling the truth. Those. sensors will react to a lie in the same way as to a question about your name.


4. The polygraph examiner does not notice anything strange in the almost identical polygraph readings and gives you a positive resolution.

The catch is that in many testing companies at the moment Before the test, they check the subject for such “pranks”, including checking shoes. Thus, at the moment this method of passing a polygraph test can be considered almost inapplicable. We do not recommend checking!

IS IT WORTH IT?

We can conclude that deceiving a lie detector is not entirely simple, but it is quite possible; you only need a sincere desire and patience. Each person must answer the question of whether this is worth doing for himself.

But one thing is true in any case: if you have made a firm decision to successfully pass the test and fool the polygraph, then try to do it

How to fool a lie detector? April 19th, 2016

Continuing our topic with you, I want to give you a few examples of how you can deceive a polygraph.

The principle of operation of a lie detector is based on changes in such physiological indicators as breathing rate, pulse, blood pressure and galvanic skin response (that is, the skin's resistance to electric current). Other methods may include monitoring changes in pupil width or brain activity using MRI.

Polygraph test results are not accepted by criminal courts in the United States and most European countries. However, the authorities found another use for this invention. In Britain, probation officers are using the detector to monitor serious sex offenders, resulting in dozens of people being returned to prison. In the United States, polygraphs are used in the selection of personnel for the CIA and other important government departments.

But do they have a vulnerability?

American Association of Polygraph Operators President Walt Hudson served as a police officer in Texas for 25 years. He insists on the device's usefulness in solving crimes. “It helps narrow down the pool of suspects. This is a quick and easy way to test a person and decide whether it is worth further working in this direction or whether it is necessary to switch to other versions.”

Typically, the operators' job is to alternately ask relevant (Did you rob a bank?) and irrelevant (Have you ever taken anything that belonged to you?) questions. Since it is impossible to answer “no” to the last type of questions without being completely dishonest, the indicators of the instruments when answering them can be considered the initial data.

The idea is to get an idea of ​​how a person reacts to lies without being stressed. In this way, the operator can interpret test results more accurately than if he were comparing them only with the obvious truth (for example, when answering the question “Are you a man?”)

George Maschke, who has run the website antipolygraph.org since 2000, argues that in order to outsmart a polygraph, you need to figure out the test question and strengthen your reaction to it.

"When you're asked a security question like, 'Have you ever had to lie to get out of trouble?' you can try to solve it very quickly math problem in the mind, so that mental activity leads to increased sweating, increased breathing, etc. If you manage to increase your response to the test question, then theoretically you can pass the test safely.”

According to Hudson, this technique can indeed fool novice operators, but it is much more difficult to fool an experienced person:

"Change settings human body deliberately is not that difficult, and there are many anti-polygraph sites that teach it. What these sites can't teach is how to change the natural response to an operator's question. When the subject tries to change or control the normal reactions of his body, the machine records abnormal data that the operator can easily recognize. They are specially trained to recognize unnatural physiological responses.

However, lie detector tests are wrong about 10 to 15 percent of the time. At the same time, a number of researchers are especially concerned that the polygraph more often gives false positive results (that is, it mistakes innocent people for guilty), compared to false negative results (that is, it considers guilty people to be innocent).

Hudson believes that some people answer truthfully but fail the test by trying too hard to control their body's responses. "When honest man unwittingly changes his physiological parameters, trying his best to pass the test safely, his answers can be taken as lies,” he says.

Many researchers consider the very principle of operation of the polygraph to be erroneous, since the physiological response of the body is not always an indicator of a lie. In 2011, specialists from the American Association of Polygraph Operators conducted their own study and came to the conclusion that test results are incorrect in 15 percent of cases.

sources

A “lie detector” is a device that allows you to calculate whether a person is telling the truth when answering questions. The use of a polygraph when applying for a job is not that uncommon, although only companies with a substantial budget can resort to expensive research. Managers believe that the device will allow them to interview candidates as efficiently as possible. You can find out what questions to expect during a polygraph test in the article.

In this article we will figure out whether polygraph testing is really an accurate study or whether a smart machine can be deceived.

How the polygraph works and works

A “lie detector” is a technical device that looks like a computer. It is connected to sensors attached to the human body. The operation of the device is based on monitoring the physiological reactions of the subject answering questions. The device responds to indicators such as:

• blood pressure,
• pulse,
• sweating,
• bursts of brain activity
• breathing rate.

A standard polygraph test looks like a psychophysiological examination, in which the results are simultaneously assessed by a person and a technical device. The subject's lie is indicated by a change in physiological parameters, which is recorded by the device in the form of a graph. Sharp jumps in the curve allow us to conclude that the subject is being somewhat disingenuous when answering the polygraph examiner.

Lie detector test scenario

Before the test begins, the specialist explains to the person being interviewed how to respond and behave during the test. Before moving on to the main test, the device is adjusted to the individual characteristics of the person being tested. The polygraph procedure begins with simple questions that, as a rule, relate to biography and personal data. The specialist may ask for negative or positive answers to gauge the reaction.

After setting up the polygraph, the turn comes to the main test for which the procedure was started.

Among those that interest the employer, there are both quite traditional and very tricky ones. Undoubtedly, the future leader is interested in whether the candidate has bad habits, how he gets along with the law, and how morally stable he is. Many managers, fearing the disclosure of confidential information, are interested in whether the future employee has connections with competing organizations.

To check the veracity of the answers, the specialist uses additional control questions.

The polygraph examiner will not share the information received with the subject. Transcription of data and comments on answers are intended for the employer. However, neither one nor the other has the right to disclose information obtained using a polygraph, according to the law on the protection of privacy.

Who should not take a polygraph?

Polygraph testing is regarded as a significant stress factor. Therefore, such a test cannot be carried out if the subject:

• has diseases associated with increased nervous excitability;
• is in a state of pregnancy;
• has not reached the age of majority;
• is intoxicated or under the influence of drugs, or is too tired.

A polygraph examiner can remove a candidate from testing due to a common cold, because during illness a person’s reactions are inhibited. In addition, body movement when coughing or sneezing will interfere with the correct operation of the device. The specialist may interrupt the psychophysiological examination after the testing has begun, noticing that the person is experiencing increased anxiety.

The candidate himself has the right to refuse to take a lie detector test when applying for a job.. Such an action should not be viewed negatively and should not affect the assessment results. professional qualities applicant. If testing is carried out to clarify an ambiguous situation, the employer may offer an alternative to the polygraph: an interview with a profiler. A specialist of this kind deciphers non-verbal signals, that is, facial expressions, intonation, answering questions. Therefore, an unreasonable refusal to take a polygraph will not give anything, it will only cause unnecessary suspicion.

How to successfully pass a lie detector test

Most people are noticeably nervous before this kind of test, even if they have absolutely nothing to hide. Therefore, the first one is perhaps the most important advice – act calm. If you know in advance that the organization uses a polygraph when hiring employees, try to have a good rest before, refuse alcoholic beverages, stimulants or sedatives the day before and on the day of the test. To successfully pass the test, you need to follow the polygraph examiner’s instructions, sit almost motionless, and clearly answer the person asking in monosyllables.

Before testing, take a comfortable position and check whether the sensors attached to your body are in the way. Let us know in advance if anything makes you uncomfortable.

Try not to think too long about the answer, but take your time and understand the meaning of the question being asked. Every person has small sins that we have long forgotten about. Therefore, do not delve into your memory, otherwise the subconscious may give a negative reaction due to the events of days long past.

Among the tips on how to successfully pass a polygraph test, there are those that relate directly to communication with a specialist. The human factor cannot be ignored, because it is the polygraph examiner who deciphers the answers, and not the device itself.

Be kind, don't fuss, don't ask too much. Answer only “yes” or “no”, without unnecessary explanations or emotional outbursts. The questions may be unpleasant, but refusing to answer will only prolong the testing time, since the polygraph examiner will ask them in a different wording.

How to fool a polygraph

Experienced people assure that there is nothing difficult in fooling a lie detector. It is more difficult to do the same with an experienced specialist, who has to deal with similar attempts quite often. An unlucky liar can be betrayed by facial expressions, gestures, intonation, and demeanor. There are many ways to deceive a polygraph, but this will require some skills in controlling psychophysiological reactions, as well as your own body, or innate acting abilities.

When setting up the detector, the specialist assesses how the test subject’s body reacts to different options answers. If these indicators are non-standard from the very beginning, subsequent surges will be perceived as the norm. A similar reaction can be caused by:

• tension in the legs and knees (this increases blood pressure);
• physiological discomfort associated with bladder overflow;
• emotional memories;
• painful sensations,
• taking stimulant or sedative medications;
• alcohol;
• state of extreme fatigue.

If you wish, you can use any of these methods, the main thing is not to overdo it. It is unlikely that a manager will be tempted by an employee who shows up for an interview smelling of alcohol or fumes. And a person who thinks for a long time about the simplest questions can hardly be called a desirable candidate.

As we have already said, the polygraph records only the body’s reaction when answering. That's why if a person is sincerely convinced of what he is saying, the detector will consider his words to be true.

Helps manage physiological processes simple tricks. To reduce sweating on your palms, wipe them with a mixture of boric and salicylic acid or a decoction of oak bark. Practice breathing rhythmically, calmly, evenly in advance. You can count to yourself in descending order, this will become an additional distraction. Concentrate your thoughts on pleasant memories, recalling small details of a successful or pleasant holiday.

Many people question the reliability of the results obtained using a polygraph, considering such a procedure to be a common deception in order to get money. But if an employer resorts to such research, it means that he is confident in its effectiveness. It is useless to challenge his opinion or try to convince him. However, it is worth remembering that the answers received during testing cannot serve as a reason for dismissal. If you are presented with a similar argument, feel free to contact the labor inspectorate or file a claim in court.

Today, studies using the so-called “lie detector” are becoming more and more popular. Such tests have to be passed when applying for employment for certain vacancies, when proving innocence or non-involvement in any crime. IN modern society The myth about the 100% accuracy of polygraph results is blooming in full bloom. But, alas and ah! In fact, everything is far from being so transparent and truthful. Even Western polygraph examiners do not give more than 70% accuracy of lie detector results.

Before starting the study, each polygraph examiner strives in one way or another to convince his “client” of the impossibility and uselessness of attempts to deceive the polygraph. For example, at the preparatory stage, when the polygraph is still being adjusted to the so-called natural reactions of the client, marked cards, filming the client with a hidden video camera, etc. can be used. All this is done with sole purpose– convince the client of the 100% infallibility of the research results.

Is it possible to fool a polygraph?

In fact, is it possible? In order to answer this question, it is necessary to understand the principle of operation of a lie detector. So, the polygraph records the strength of the physiological reactions of the subject. That is, the more important the question, the brighter the reaction to it will be, and, accordingly, the clearer the curve on the polygraph tape. For example, if a person is asked the question: “Have you cheated on your wife?”, then the one who has never cheated will react passively, and the one who is guilty will shudder in his soul and be afraid that the secret will be revealed. Even if nothing is noticeable outwardly, physiological reactions will betray an unprepared person and the device will have time to record this.

Does this mean that the polygraph cannot be fooled? No, it doesn't mean that. The polygraph can be deceived by intelligence officers specially trained for this, pathological liars, sociopaths, mentally unbalanced people and professional actors who know how to get used to the role, identifying themselves with a completely different character who has a different fate and views. A simple person, without special training, faced with a polygraph, what is called “nose to nose,” is hardly capable of this. But this does not mean that he is not capable at all. There are several methods, with practice and a little luck, you can try to fool even the most modern lie detector.

How to fool a polygraph?

Before we look at ways to fool a lie detector, let's get acquainted with the testing procedure itself. How does it all happen? Initially, a number of questions that will be asked to him during the procedure are discussed with the client. This is done in order not to cause a person to be surprised or stunned by an unexpected question, since the polygraph takes surprise and lies as practically the same thing, and accordingly the results will be distorted. Next, the device is adjusted to the natural reactions of the individual, by asking unambiguous questions, i.e. questions to which the client will obviously give a truthful answer “yes” or “no”. For example: “Today is Tuesday?”, “Is it autumn now?” “Is it raining outside now?” etc. As soon as the device is configured, they begin directly to the study, during which they ask a previously agreed range of questions. And this is where the fun begins...

№1

First and the most common way of deception is to drink a little alcohol the day before, then in the morning your reactions will be more blurred and the polygraph will not be able to clearly distinguish between lies and truth.

№2

Second way consists of taking medications that lower blood pressure. However, this method is bad because not every person can use it. For example, people with low blood pressure to begin with are at great risk by taking such drugs. In addition, an accurate calculation of the dose of the drug and the time of its action is necessary.

№3

Third way– applying cosmetics to the fingertips that reduce the level of reaction, for example, talc or deodorants for sweaty feet. One of the most common methods is rubbing salicylic-zinc ointment into pre-steamed skin of the hands and fingertips. Rubbing with alcohol.

All of the methods described above are not suitable if the research is really serious (for example, when investigating a crime, terrorism) and you first have to undergo a blood or urine test for the presence of psychotropic substances.

№4

Fourth method consists of chronic lack of sleep. This leads to the body falling into a kind of inhibited state on the verge of sleep and wakefulness.

№5

Another one is similar way deception - starvation. The resulting exhaustion will confuse the polygraph. Not a single polygrapher will guarantee whether this is a reaction to a question or a natural reaction of an exhausted body.

№6

Sixth method reminiscent of the previous two - severe fatigue. For example, after a severe physical work or sports training. However, in this case, the study can simply be postponed.

№7

Seventh method not very suitable for modern polygraphs, but still deserves to be described in this article - physical impact on the body, the client causing pain to himself, which confuses the body’s reactions. Nervous system reacts not to a question and answer, but to the expectation of pain, which also disorganizes the computer. IN this method there are some nuances. Often the client's body is hung with motion sensors to exclude the possibility of him using such methods as putting a button in the shoe and pressing on it with his big toe or biting the tip of his tongue.

№8

Another good one way based on partial deconcentration, i.e. a person thinks about something extraneous, reads poetry to himself or sings songs, answering questions mechanically, without thinking and sometimes without even realizing their meaning. In order to deceive the polygraph, subjects often resort to this method - they drink large quantities of water an hour to an hour and a half before the test. Accordingly, during the study they cannot think about anything other than going to the toilet.

№9

Ninth method– subtype of the eighth – complete deconcentration, relaxation and partial fall into a trance. However, if the relaxation turns out to be too strong, the study may be postponed.

№10

Tenth method- getting used to the role. Perhaps one of the most difficult, but effective. Come up with your own version of what happened, believe in it sincerely and with all your heart, get used to the situation.

Of course, nothing is impossible, up to certain limits. A little practice, luck and faith in own strength- that’s the whole recipe for how to fool a polygraph.

Today we will talk about how to deceive a lie detector or polygraph using the methods of the FSB, FBI, CIA and other security services and intelligence units. We will also find out what to do if you are offered to undergo a polygraph test in order to detect lies in your testimony.

Today there is a myth circulating in society about the super-effectiveness of the polygraph. Annoying mistakes are attributed to the lack of qualifications of individual specialists, but the reliability of the technology itself is almost never questioned. On the pages of various publications you can often read “authoritative data” that the reliability of lie detector tests is 90-95 percent, or even higher. This myth is supported with all its might both by polygraph examiners themselves and by other interested structures. Firstly, for advertising purposes, in order to create commercial demand for this type of service.

They are not cheap and bring specialized companies good income. Secondly, to exert psychological pressure on test takers, depriving them of the will to resist and thus increasing the effectiveness of the tests. This approach, figuratively speaking, helps ensure victory even before the battle begins. Thirdly, there are deeper, socio-psychological aspects of this phenomenon. Even in ancient times they knew that the fear and simultaneous admiration of the crowd for something mysterious and powerful is the basis of power over it. The myth about the power of the polygraph, which is cultivated today, is no exception. “Bosses” use it and will use it to keep in obedience those who are below them on the social ladder (the people, the plebs, subordinates, office plankton - call it what you want).

Each polygraph examiner before starting testing in mandatory tries to instill in the “victim” the idea of ​​the futility of resisting the polygraph. During the briefing, they will explain to you in a friendly and relaxed manner that, supposedly, the lie detector “sees everything” and it will not be possible to deceive it. And all you have to do is relax and enjoy the process of turning you inside out, when other people's insensitive fingers unceremoniously crawl into the hidden depths of your soul. Let's not blame the specialists for this professional trick - this is part of their work, prescribed in the instructions. Let's talk about whether it is really possible to fool a lie detector?
Science and technology do not stand still, but the real efficiency of the polygraph today is still far from the declared indicators. This is evidenced by large number errors and high-profile scandals, when the results of a detector test literally ruined the fates of innocent people. Even in the United States, where (unlike Russia) the tradition of active use of the polygraph goes back several decades, enormous experience has been accumulated, and the level of training and qualifications of the personnel is no match for our home-grown specialists, the reliability of assessments today is estimated by unbiased experts to be at best 70%, and This is the most optimistic data.

Laboratory and field studies examining the accuracy of polygraph tests have shown that they are subject to significant error rates. Experiments have also been conducted to prove the possibility of learning to successfully counter a polygraph. This means that although it is difficult to deceive a polygraph (lie detector), it is quite possible.

The first step is to overcome the fear and “reverence” of the polygraph, which was instilled in you for manipulative purposes. Remember that a lie detector cannot read your thoughts and thus learn anything about you. It records only the state of the subject at the time of testing. Or more precisely, changes in physiological indicators when answering questions. Based on the collected data, the computer produces a probabilistic assessment, which is then analyzed by a specialist. A polygraph, like any machine, can be deceived, its “brains” can be clogged so that it cannot give an accurate answer.

A unique video tutorial on how to apply a manicure design that will shift attention if you look at it during polygraph testing:

YouTube Video

A lie detector can be quite easily confused by pathological liars, because if a person sincerely believes in his lie, then to the polygraph it already looks like the truth. Another group is highly professional actors who are fluent in their craft (Stanislavsky’s system, etc.) and are able to merge with the image of their hero, right down to physiological manifestations (“laughter and tears to order, whatever you want”). It is also necessary to mention the secret service workers who received special training. For other people, this will require training, sometimes quite long. Individual geniuses who have such a gift from birth do not count, since there are very few of them.

There are three main ways to counter a polygraph

The first is to try to reduce the sensitivity of your own touch analyzers. To do this, it will be enough to drink some alcohol the day before. The next day, the person becomes weakly sensitive, his reactions are, so to speak, “inhibited,” and he will not be able to react objectively to the stimuli presented. A lie detector will not be able to draw clear conclusions.

Specially selected medications are another remedy. However, you must know and understand your body’s reaction to “chemistry” well, because if the test taker took psychotropic substances for the first time, he will be in a new place for him mental state and “out of habit” may begin to behave inappropriately, which will be instantly noticed. Non-chemical methods can also be used. For example, lack of sleep for several days.

Due to chronic lack of sleep, a person falls into a state close to a trance, between sleep and wakefulness - his physiological reaction to all questions will be equally insignificant. But it should be noted that an experienced polygraph examiner will notice such a condition. He analyzes the magnitude of reactions to special control questions unknown to the subject. If the reaction to them does not differ from the “general background”, the polygraph examiner may stop the test, or reschedule it for another time. However, sometimes even such a delay plays into the hands of the test taker.

Another approach is to suppress all emotions so that no stimulus triggers a response. The basic principle here is that a person tries to answer all questions automatically, without paying serious attention to them. He should focus his attention on the picture of the wall that is in front of him, or on some other neutral object or memory from his life experience. This method requires the ability to self-concentrate, long training is needed to master it, but its effectiveness is also quite high.

The third approach says: “What is important is not the absence of a reaction as such (which is quite easily detected by special “control” questions and can arouse suspicion), but the ability to give the desired reaction.” Those. Your reaction should seem natural. Feigned emotional reactions to insignificant stimuli are effective. If you want to provoke a reaction to relevant question, just try to multiply a few in your head multi-digit numbers or think about something that causes anger or sexual emotion. For example, if you do not want to be caught in homosexuality, you need to multiply numbers in your head when you are asked “do you prefer women.”

But if the problem is the opposite, i.e. You must pretend to be a homosexual, which you are not (for example, in order to “get out” of the army), then you need to multiply after hearing the question “Do you prefer to have sex with people of the same sex,” etc. Alternatively: when you are asked about women, at that moment you imagine or remember sex scenes with men (or vice versa).

Thus, the sexual reaction to the pictures from your imagination is “superimposed” on the question asked and it seems that it was the question that caused such a reaction. With a certain impressionability, willpower and a well-practiced skill, this method works. You can also achieve results if you start reading poetry. About myself, of course. Something long, like Eugene Onegin. Worrying about the main character and answering questions casually.

Physiological reactions characteristic of psychological stress also cause pain. Some, in their attempts to deceive the polygraph, went so far as to put a shoe under thumb put the button: the pain when pressing it should cause a “false reaction”. There are many ways to create fake reactions different ways, one of them is tension in some muscle groups that is invisible to the expert. People typically press their toes to the floor, roll their eyes toward their nose, or press their tongue against the hard palate.

The difficulty here is to hide these movements from the interrogator, since such methods of deception are known today even to amateur polygraph examiners. The test taker is often filmed on video cameras, which record close up any of your movements and changes in facial expression. Therefore, this matter should be handled very carefully. Remember that any suspicious or ambiguous behavior will definitely be interpreted NOT in your favor.

As an alternative to a needle in your pants, you can recommend techniques from the NLP arsenal - learn to put a “psychological anchor” (for tension and relaxation), using it at the right moment. After all, the most difficult thing to expose is the internal ones, mental tricks. If used at the right moments, it is quite possible to fool the polygraph and lead the expert to erroneous conclusions.

For English speakers, I recommend visiting the website of staunch polygraph fighters Antipolygraph.org. The credo of this site really appeals to me. Loosely translated into Russian, it sounds something like this: “Their right is to try to find out all the ins and outs about us, our right is to send them all to hell... This is what democracy is all about.” This site presents an interesting work, “The Lie Behind the Lie Detector.” In it, opponents of detectors offer their own methods of combating “unscientific methods of testifying, designed for idiots and working only in a lawless country.”

These recommendations apply to the classic bark detector, which records pressure fluctuations, breathing rate, blinking, heart muscle contractions, electrical activity of the skin, brain activity, involuntary movements of the arms and legs. For example, when the device is connected to the body, the first thing we recommend is to pay attention to even breathing. Its frequency can range from 15 to 30 breaths per minute (this is approximately 2-4 seconds).

It is generally accepted that rapid or slow breathing indicates that a person is lying. In addition, it is known that after a “dangerous” question there is a “sigh of relief”, so you should control your breathing until you are completely “disconnected” from the wires with which you are entangled.

In order to deceive blood pressure sensors, enthusiasts advise doing the following exercise between questions from a polygraph examiner: squeezing the anal sphincter muscles and biting the tip of the tongue. It is necessary to squeeze the muscles so that the legs and buttocks do not move, since in modern models of detectors, sensors are connected to the seats, indicating the slightest fidgeting in the chair and swaying of the ankles.

Techniques similar to those listed above can be used not only during a lie detector test, but also during a regular interview, for example, with a psychologist or HR specialist when applying for a job. After all, the expert psychologist will also very carefully monitor your reaction to his questions in order to find out whether you are telling the truth.
The fact is that you can deceive a polygraph using the methods you suggest... But for this you need to be a very prepared person. The committee has been preparing people for this, mmm... well, for a very long time. After the failure of the Stasi agents, if my sclerosis serves me correctly in ’60 or ’61. I mean methods of replacing questions or (even more so!!!) suppressing emotions. The button method is good, but... In modern testing, sensors are placed under the legs of a chair. And any movement will be instantly detected and will be interpreted not in your favor. As well as muscle contraction.

Pressing the tongue to the palate, biting the tongue is quickly determined by appearance by any, even not very experienced expert, who during testing will not look at the tape at all - why, it is still recorded automatically, or on the monitor screen, but will look at your face, identifying additional, NOT psychophysiological reactions, especially eye movements . Coming from a hangover is good. It's also good to come JUST after drinking some alcohol.

Maybe NOT alcohol. You can have 7-10 cups of coffee. You can also use other drugs, such as tranquilizers. But again, with SERIOUS testing, you will definitely get a blood and/or urine test. What all your tricks will be figured out. Which again will be interpreted NOT in your favor. Not to mention that testing may simply be postponed. In addition, all this affects the heart rate. And it is ALWAYS measured during polygraph testing. And an increased heart rate per minute can also be interpreted AGAINST you.

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And absolutely all these methods are not applicable if you are being tested FROM THE CAMERA. But the method that I allow myself to offer you is largely free from all these shortcomings, has been tested (don’t ask where!) and has shown good results. With this method you also need to drink. But only water. And in large quantities. Everyone knows approximately how much they need to drink in order to go to the toilet... well, REALLY want to. How to drink for a long time... You can try to calculate it so that during the preliminary, “sighting” questions you still don’t want too much. And this is about the first 10-30 minutes.

But, even if you haven’t calculated it, you can still use “targeting” questions to force yourself not to think about the fact that you want to go to the toilet, to relax as much as possible... Well, in general, everyone has their own ways of dealing with themselves in such cases. But then... Focus as much as possible on your own bladder, which is swelling, swelling, which is about to burst, to think only about the fact that you unbearably want to go to the toilet, you no longer have the strength to endure, you no longer have the strength to think about anything except that you want to pee-pee!!!

Even if you were invited to take a polygraph test, which is called either a “truth machine” or a “lie detector,” and were promised that with its help you can prove your innocence, you should think several times before taking it. The polygraph has not yet proven itself to be a miraculous machine capable of revealing the truth.

The polygraph is used not only by police investigators, but also by private detectives (private investigators), representatives of insurance companies, etc. But even in these cases there is no obligation to subject oneself to examination.

The work of the polygraph is based on the principle that when we tell a lie, physiological changes occur: our pulse and breathing become more frequent, our blood pressure rises, and our sweating increases. A polygraph can reveal this. Therefore, sensors are put on the subject to subsequently record possible changes, and then a test is carried out, during which a verification document is drawn up. The person conducting the test then evaluates the data obtained and, based on observations from the instruments, decides in which cases the subject was telling the truth and in which cases he was not.

The verification system is not very complicated. The subject is asked to answer all questions in the negative. And subsequently, the examiner compares his reaction to questions that were asked during two periods: when he obviously answered incorrectly to questions posed that were not related to his case, and in the second case, when he answered questions posed thorny issues, i.e. those he was afraid to answer.
It is very important to ensure that questions are asked accurately and specifically. You don’t have to agree to answer questions like: “Are you an honest, straightforward person?” or “Are you prone to deception?” As for the case under investigation, the inspector must formulate it correctly, i.e. do not ask the subject, if he is being tested for involvement in the theft of money from the cash register of an enterprise, whether he stole anything, but ask whether he committed the theft of a specific amount from this cash register. Because if the question is asked incorrectly, incorrectly formulated, then the test subject’s reaction will also be incorrect.

In the latter case, this is very important for every person taking the test to know. The point is that if the subject answers the questions incorrectly - not because he is trying to deceive the polygraph, but because he is confused in the questions posed and does not clarify them, then the examiner may get the impression that the subject actually committed this offense, and he will indicate this in his conclusion. Such a conclusion will subsequently complicate the defense of the accused in court and entails great difficulties in proving the incorrect conclusion of a specialist.

Is it possible to “deceive” a polygraph?

There are people who are not suitable for polygraph testing at all because when they tell a lie, their physiological reactions to it are different from the reactions of other people. Their pulse does not quicken, their blood pressure does not rise, their fingers do not tremble, their eyelids do not blink, etc. These people are capable of fooling the lie detector.

This condition in people can occur either due to their education and self-confidence, or there are pathological liars who tell lies and feel as if they are telling the truth, and the body’s reactions indicate this.

Changes in the body's normal reactions can occur due to the use of chemical drugs. Thus, drug addicts are not subject to polygraph testing because their reactions differ from those of ordinary people.

A method of deceiving the polygraph such as hypnosis is rarely used. During the hypnotic state, they try to change the subject's memory of the event being tested, which will subsequently be checked using a lie detector.
Simple but effective remedy deception is the distraction of the subject's attention while he is being asked questions. Those. a subject who wants to deceive a polygraph tries to think about something else at this moment, which is certainly difficult for him, and few people are capable of this. There were cases when subjects tried to use a sharp object so that, by inflicting pain on themselves and concentrating on it, they could be distracted from the questions being asked.
In light of all this, it is generally accepted that persons suffering from heart disease or high blood pressure, and anyone who is constantly taking medication or who has taken a special drug or sedative on the day of the test, are not subject to a polygraph test. During the preliminary conversation, the examiner asks the subject about this, and if the person’s answers are positive, the test can be canceled.

Polygraph reliability

In our country, polygraphs are used by three authorities: the police, the security service and private institutions. The latter are used by insurance companies, which impose a special condition on the claimant to undergo verification to confirm the veracity of his words, threatening to otherwise not pay him anything. Also, a polygraph can be used by employers who want to either check an employee entering a job, or someone already employed, to identify the person guilty of a certain violation (for example, someone stole money from the company’s cash register, or transferred secret data to a competitor, etc.). d.).

The reliability of the polygraph is quite controversial. Even experts who work with it believe that it is impossible to guarantee 100% effectiveness of the test. Opponents of such a test talk about the low efficiency of the polygraph and claim that the test is 50% reliable, comparing it to flipping a coin.

Very often, the myth that the polygraph is always able to establish the truth is more effective than the machine itself. So, a subject who was brought in for testing and is closed for conversation with a specialist, because... knows that he is deceiving, and his deception will be revealed with the help of a polygraph; he can “break down” a few minutes before the start of the test and tell the truth.
Sometimes the investigator, without waiting for the result of the test, can tell the suspect immediately after the polygraph test that he already knows that he is deceiving, and invite him to start telling the truth.

Where is a polygraph accepted?

A simple and well-known rule is that the result of a polygraph test is not accepted by the court. The Supreme Court of the country has pointed this out many times. You can quote one of the judges who noted in his decision “...data obtained as a result of the use of a polygraph is not evidence at all...”.

Despite this, the results of a polygraph test sometimes have some value and are used in some cases. First of all, when considering procedures related to arrest, where the judge must be satisfied that there are acceptable grounds for the police requesting an extension of the arrest of the suspect, and there is not enough evidence to support the request. In this case, the judge accepts both the result of the test and the message about the suspect’s refusal to undergo it, which increases suspicion against this person.

Therefore, we can recommend that a person against whom a criminal case is being investigated, who considers himself innocent, contacts the investigators with a request to undergo a polygraph test. If such a check is carried out and the results are in favor of the suspect, then you can take advantage of this and ask the court for release.

Polygraph testing technique. Test of control questions
It is very important that subjects are not distracted during polygraph testing. Any distraction can cause a physiological reaction, which will be noticed by the polygraph and may affect the result. Therefore, it is advisable that the test take place in a soundproofed room where extraneous sounds do not penetrate. Also, the experimenter and equipment should be behind the subject.

Moreover, subjects are prohibited from moving and are only allowed to answer “yes” or “no” questions, since movement and speech can lead to undesirable physiological reactions. It becomes obvious that cooperation with the subject is a necessary condition for testing. Participation is therefore only possible on a voluntary basis, and subjects have the right to stop the test at any time. However, stopping testing seems undesirable, since it can make the subject even more suspicious and easily lead to questions such as: “If you are innocent, then why not prove it with a polygraph test?”

A typical test questions test consists of four stages. At the first stage, the examiner formulates and discusses with the subject the questions that will be asked during polygraph testing. There are two reasons for discussing questions with the subject in advance. First, the experimenter must ensure that the subject understands the questions so that there is no further discussion of the content of the questions during or after testing. Second, the experimenter is assured that the subject will answer questions only with “yes” and “no” (and not “yes, but...” or “it depends...”).

There are three types of questions, namely: neutral, meaningful and control questions.

Neutral questions are general and should not cause excitement (for example: “Do you live in the USA?”, “Is your name John?”, etc.) Neutral questions act as fillers. Therefore, when processing test results, physiological reactions to these questions are ignored. Fillers can be used to test how attentive the examinee is to the examiner's questions.

Relevant questions are specific questions relating to the crime. For example, in the case of theft, the following question might be asked: “Did you take this camera?” Of course, both guilty and innocent subjects will answer “no” to this question, otherwise they would confess to the theft. It is expected that significant issues produce greater arousal in guilty suspects (because they are lying) than in innocent suspects (because they are telling the truth).
Control questions relate to actions that are related to the crime under investigation, but do not directly indicate it. They are always general in nature, deliberately vague and cover long period time. Their purpose is to confuse subjects (both guilty and innocent) and cause arousal. This task is made easier by the fact that, on the one hand, it leaves the suspect no choice but to lie when answering security questions, and, on the other hand, it shows him that the polygraph will reveal this lie.

The polygraph examiner formulates the test question in such a way that, in his opinion, the negative answer of the subject is a lie. The exact wording of the question will depend on the subject's circumstances, but in a theft test setting, a question might be asked: "During the first 20 years of your life, did you ever take something that didn't belong to you?" The examiner believes that the subject could actually take something alien before the age of 21 (as this is typical for many people). Under normal circumstances, some subjects might confess to their misdeeds. However, during polygraph testing they will not do this, since the examiner will usually report that admitting to theft of this kind would cause him to think of the test taker as a person capable of committing the crime under investigation, and therefore assign blame to him.

Thus, the subject has no choice but to deny the previously committed offense and, consequently, give a false answer to the control questions. If, nevertheless, subjects confess to some wrongdoing, then the wording of the control question changes (for example, “In addition to what you have already told me ...”). Moreover, the examiner usually informs the subject that false answers to control questions during testing cause physiological reactions and are recorded by the polygraph. The subject then begins to think that lying on the test questions shows that he was also dishonest about significant issues related to the crime under investigation and, to return to our example, will be accused of stealing a camera. In fact, as will be discussed later, the examiner interprets strong physiological reactions to the test question as an attempt to be truthful, but he simply does not inform the examinee of this!
In general, control and salient questions may elicit different patterns of physiological responses in guilty and innocent suspects. For an innocent suspect, control questions may produce greater arousal than salient questions for two reasons. First, an innocent suspect gives deceitful answers to security questions but truthful answers to meaningful ones.

Second, because the test-taker answers dishonestly on test questions that the examiner places so much emphasis on, and because he knows that he is giving truthful answers to meaningful questions, he will be more concerned about answering test questions. On the other hand, the same control questions are expected to produce less arousal in guilty suspects than salient questions. The guilty suspect gives false answers to both types of questions, when in principle both types of questions should lead to similar physiological responses. However, since meaningful questions pose the greatest threat to him, they will lead to a stronger physiological response than control questions. A guilty suspect might reason: "If the examiner finds out that I'm lying on the big questions, it's all over for me, but there's still a little hope if the examiner notices that I'm lying on the test questions as well."

After the questions have been formulated and the examiner is convinced that the subject understands their meaning and will answer only “yes” or “no,” the second stage begins, the so-called stimulus test. The purpose of the stimulus test is to convince the subject of the accuracy of the technique and that the polygraph is capable of detecting any lie. To conduct polygraph testing, it is very important that the subject believes in the infallibility of the test. Belief that the test is 100% accurate will increase the fear of discovery in a guilty suspect when answering meaningful questions (“There is no way to fool this machine”) and will increase the confidence of the innocent (“The machine works accurately, and since I am innocent, I will be acquitted”). The opposite situation can be observed if subjects do not believe in the accuracy of the polygraph. Then guilty suspects may become more confident (“Nothing is lost yet, there is still a chance to beat the polygraph”), and innocent suspects may feel more fear (“I know I’m innocent, but what will this machine show? I really hope the polygraph doesn’t will make mistakes."

A card game is often used to conduct a stimulus test. The subject is asked to select a card from a deck, remember it, and return it. Then the experimenter shows several cards, and the subject is asked to answer “no” to the appearance of each card. After this, the experimenter evaluates the polygraph responses and tells the subject which card he chose. Very often the examiner does right choice, since showing the desired card will almost automatically cause a physical reaction in the subject, for example as a consequence of the tension associated with whether the examiner will detect a lie in that particular case. The card test allows the examiner to establish the test taker's response pattern when telling lies and truths. In this case, the examiner openly talks about this to the subject.

Examiners always run the risk of making the wrong decision and being put in a stupid position, which would have disastrous consequences. If the subject is told the four of hearts when what they really need is the five of hearts, it may be futile to continue testing. To avoid errors, examiners sometimes resort to tricks, such as marking the correct card or using (unbeknownst to the examinee) a deck that contains only one type of card (Bashore & Rapp, 1993). Obviously, in this case, the examiner does not show the cards to the subject, but only names the intended card. Other examiners do not use card games Instead, they convince subjects of the effectiveness of the technique with a well-equipped office and various framed diplomas and certificates adorning the walls (Bull, 1988).

After the stimulating test, the turn of the third stage begins - the main test. Here is an example of a sequence of neutral/relevant/control questions in the case of a camera theft:

N-1 Do you live in the USA? "Yes"

K-1 In the first 20 years of your life, did you ever take something that didn't belong to you? "No"

3-1 Have you taken this camera? "No"

N-2 Is your name Rick? "Yes"

K-2 Before 1987, did you ever do anything dishonest or illegal? "No"

3-2 Did you take this camera from the table? "No"

N-3 Were you born in November? "Yes"

K-3 Before the age of 21, did you ever lie to avoid problems or cause trouble for someone else? "No"

3-3 Do you have anything to do with the theft of this camera? "No"

The exact wording of security questions depends on the specific circumstances. The same sequence of questions is asked at least three times in order to exclude random differences in physiological responses between control and significant questions. That is, it may happen that an innocent subject accidentally gives a very strong reaction to one of the significant questions. The more questions the examiner asks, the less influence random reactions will have on the final result.

The last, fourth, stage of the test is to interpret the polygraph diagrams. There are two methods for interpreting data, namely, the general approach and the numerical expression approach. As part of the general approach, the polygraph examiner forms an impression of the subject's physiological reactions to the test. This information is then randomly combined with an assessment of the factual material of the case (the subject's criminal history, evidence) and the subject's behavior during testing in order to make a final decision about its veracity.

Within the numerical expression method, comparisons are made between responses to significant questions and subsequent control questions (3-1 is compared with K-1, 3-2 is compared with K-2, and 3-3 is compared with K-3). There are four options. If there is no difference in the physiological response, a value of 0 is assigned. If the differences are noticeable, a score of 1 is given, while 2-3 points are assigned, respectively, to strong and very pronounced differences. However, there are no standardized rules for defining what a “noticeable”, “strong” or “very pronounced” difference means. According to Raskin, the most common scores are 0 or 1, less often 2, and very rarely 3 (Raskin, Kircher, Horowitz, & Honts, 1989). If the response is stronger to the salient question than to the control question, a negative value is assigned (-1, -2 or -3). Conversely, if the reaction is weaker to a significant question than to a control question, a positive score is given (+1, +2 or +3). Then the indicators are summed up and displayed overall rating according to the test. Final result The test is based on this overall score. If it reaches -6 or lower (-7, -8, etc.), the experimenter concludes that the suspect failed the test and is therefore guilty. If the overall score is +6 or higher (+1, +8, etc.), the examiner considers the test passed and the suspect innocent. Scores ranging from -5 to +5 indicate an indeterminate result. Reactions to the first control and significant questions are often ignored, since subjects sometimes demonstrate inappropriately strong reactions to the first questions due to lack of experience with the polygraph or a nervous state associated with the investigation.

The informal, fifth, stage of testing involves telling the test taker immediately after the test that he or she is lying. The subject is also asked to think about why it is possible that the polygraph patterns indicated a lie was reported. In order to speed up the thought process, the examiner leaves the room for a while. The goal of the fifth stage is to achieve recognition. The subject may experience anxiety at this stage, decide that the game is over, and therefore confess to committing the crime. This is exactly what happened in one case when, after being accused of lying, the examiner temporarily left the room to observe the subject from another room through a one-way mirror. The subject, clearly upset, continued to look at the polygraph charts, then made up his mind and began to eat them - almost 6 feet of paper 6 inches wide. After waiting for the end of the meal, the examiner returned as if nothing had happened, leaned over the polygraph and asked: “What happened? Did he eat them? The subject exclaimed: “Oh my God, so this thing can talk?” - and admitted to committing the crime.

Preparing for a polygraph test can be considered a work of art. For successful testing, a polygraph examiner must formulate test questions in such a way as to evoke stronger physiological reactions in innocent suspects than to significant questions. On the other hand, in guilty suspects, these control questions should elicit less pronounced physiological responses compared to salient questions. Of course, it is not easy to formulate questions that meet these criteria. If the examiner frightens the examinee too much with test questions, there is a risk that guilt will not be revealed in the guilty suspects. In this case, physiological responses to control questions may be the same as to significant questions, and the test results will be inconclusive. Another problem with test questions that are too “difficult” is the risk of harming the test subject’s psyche. On the other hand, if examiners do not create sufficient embarrassment for subjects with test questions, they risk blaming innocent suspects, since physiological responses to meaningful questions may then be stronger than to control questions.

It all depends on the specialist’s skills to conduct a serious critical analysis of testing. To receive exact result The level of psychological sensitivity and sophistication of the examiner, as well as his experience, are decisive. Unfortunately, many lack adequate training in psychodiagnostics and are unfamiliar with the basic concepts and requirements of a standardized psychological test. These problems are magnified when the examiner formulates and presents test questions to the examinee, since it is very difficult to standardize the wording and procedure for discussing questions for all examinees. Much depends on how the subject perceives and responds to control questions during the preliminary interview.

Criticism of the control questions test

The test of control questions attracts serious criticism from its opponents. The most significant comments are described below.

This test suggests that innocent suspects give stronger physiological responses to control questions than to significant questions. Psychologist Paul Ekman (1992) gives five reasons why some innocent suspects may exhibit the opposite pattern and experience greater arousal in response to salient questions than to control questions.

Innocent suspects may think that the police are fallible. Indeed, if they were asked to take a polygraph test, then the police had already made a mistake by accusing them of a crime they did not commit. They may have already tried to convince the police of their innocence, but to no avail. Although, on the one hand, innocent subjects might view the test as an opportunity to prove innocence. But on the other hand, it is also possible that they may be afraid that those who have already made the mistake of accusing them of a crime will make even bigger mistakes. In other words, if police methods are so unreliable that they wrongly cast suspicion on an innocent person, why shouldn't polygraph tests be flawed too?

An innocent suspect may think the police are unfair. People may dislike or distrust the police and therefore fear that the polygraph examiner will also misjudge or deceive.

An innocent suspect may think the instruments are making mistakes. For example, he might have difficulty with his personal computer or other technical devices and therefore do not believe that the device can be flawless.

The innocent suspect is afraid. Someone who experiences generalized fear may react more strongly to meaningful questions than to control questions.

As mentioned earlier, the suspect, even if he is innocent, reacts emotionally to the events associated with the crime. Let's say an innocent man is suspected of murdering his wife. When asked about murder in significant matters, memories of deceased wife can awaken strong feelings in relation to it, which will be recorded on the polygraph diagrams.

We can add a sixth reason. A test whose validity depends on a clever trick is vulnerable in the sense that the trick must be successful or the test will be ineffective. Therefore, test takers must trust that the test is infallible and that the test questions are critical. According to Elaad (1993) and Lykken (1988), it is impossible for all subjects to believe this. There are dozens of books and articles that provide information about the test, including details of the stimulus test, the nature of the test questions, and the fact that the test sometimes makes errors. Information about the test even appears in popular newspaper articles. Of course, those who are undergoing polygraph testing have access to this literature and may well familiarize themselves with it. Therefore, it is unlikely that subjects familiar with the test methodology and/or its errors would believe the examiner's lies about the importance of control questions and that the polygraph never makes mistakes. Apparently, polygraph testing will become increasingly less effective when used with people who do not trust the examiner. Skeptical innocent suspects have good reason to severe anxiety when answering relevant questions, since skewed test results - and they are always possible if the test is not infallible - will lead to being accused of a crime they did not commit.

An additional complication is that the polygraph examiner may never know whether the test and meaningful questions he is about to ask are appropriate to achieve the desired effect. Many experts argue that polygraph examiners should record the behavioral manifestations of subjects during the preliminary test. However, this is a very difficult and risky task. Ekman and O'Sullivan (1991) specifically studied polygraph testers and found that they had particular difficulty detecting lies based on behavioral manifestations.

And finally, the test subjects’ reactions to control questions are most often not “deliberate” lies, but only “supposed” ones. The polygraph examiner only assumes that the subject's answers to these questions are false, but he does not have absolute confidence in this. Of course, when the assumptions made by the examiner are incorrect, test questions will not lead to the desired result, since in this case the examinee is actually telling the truth.

A situation may arise when the polygraph examiner’s confidence in the guilt of the subject even before testing on a lie detector will influence the test result. As a rule, the subject is not completely stranger, the polyraphologist usually knows important details of his biography (including information from the criminal case). Also, the polygraph examiner makes a certain subjective impression of the subject (negative or positive) during the preliminary interview, in which control and significant questions are formulated. If he believes that the suspect is innocent, the result may be involuntary pressure on the subject during test questions. As a result, the likelihood that testing will show “not guilty” increases. On the other hand, if the polygraph examiner believes the suspect is guilty in advance, this may lead to placing too much emphasis on test questions. In this case, the test result will be “guilty.”

It should be recognized the decisive role played by the subjectivity of polygraph examiners in relation to possible errors and the assessment of these errors depending on the circumstances. Because the facts of the case are known to the examiner before the polygraph test is administered, and because the test is not standardized, it is possible that not only will the results be judged on the basis of information about the test taker and the attitudes of the examiner, but also the administration of the test will be affected by these biases. Because the test is psychological in the sense that it involves complex, interview-like interactions between examiner and test taker, any distortions in the preparation and administration of the test may result in a result consistent with those distortions. Therefore, different subjects who are accused of committing certain crimes may be offered completely different tests, although they are all called by the same name - a polygraph test. In fact, the term test itself is misleading because it implies a relatively standardized test method, such as an IQ test, which, although controversial, produces essentially the same result among competent diagnosticians.

Thus, the test result reflects the examiner's preliminary subjective beliefs about the guilt of the subject. These difficulties can be overcome by using computer method processing of polygraph data, in which the “human factor” is reduced to a minimum. Another solution is to involve independent experts who are not familiar with the subject and the case under investigation. Thus, most polygraph tests conducted at the government level in the United States are checked by quality control specialists who evaluate only the diagrams and do not have the opportunity to observe the behavior of the subjects.

There is also an ethical side to a polygraph test, since misleading the subject plays a decisive role in it. It is debatable how appropriate it is to use deception. Proponents of this test say that the ends justify the means and that it is important to force dangerous criminals to confess by deceiving them as necessary. Proponents also believe that polygraph testing sometimes benefits innocent suspects, namely when the test confirms that they are innocent.

Opponents of the test point out that it is unacceptable to deceive suspects, since it is possible negative consequences. For example, it may undermine public confidence in police services and other agencies that administer polygraph testing, or suspects may feel that they are allowed to lie because the polygraph examiner is allowed to lie to them. Finally, suspects may decide to stop cooperating with investigators when they discover that they have been deceived (cooperation is sometimes necessary to obtain additional information, since polygraph test results are often not considered evidence in court).

In addition to the debate over the appropriateness or desirability of deceiving suspects, it is often illegal, since in many countries investigative techniques that involve deceiving persons under investigation are not acceptable by law. Consequently, in these countries, information obtained through polygraph tests can almost never be used as evidence in court.