The Connection between Score Threshold, Rate of Inconclusives and Minimum Number of Charts Required for Decision of Truth or Deception

"A comprehensive study on Validity and Reliability of Detection of Deception conducted by D.C. Raskin, G.H. Barland, and J.A. Podlesny (1978) for the National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice that included fi eld studies and laboratory experiments concluded that the optimal score threshold using the Utah Zone Comparison Technique format was a fixed threshold of +/-6 which would result in an accuracy rate from 88 to 90 percent with an inconclusive rate of approximately 9 percent. Further, the study shows that as the scores increase, there is a moderate increase in accuracy reaching approximately 98 percent, particularly from +/-9 to +/-12, but at the expense of an increase in inconclusives. Furthermore, in the Matte, Reuss 1989a fi eld study, tables 10a1, 10a2, 10b1, 10b2 and 10c show that as the scores increase the probability of error decreases, hence an increase in accuracy. "(...

fMRI Lie Detection Validity and Admissibility as Evidence in Court and Applicability of the Court’s Ruling to Polygraph Testing

"On 18 June 2008, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Dr. Lorne Allan Semrau, a clinical psychologist, and in a Second Superseding Indictment fi led later that year charged him with sixty counts of healthcare fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C & 1347, twelve counts of money laundering in violation of 18 U.S.C && 1956 and 1957, and one count of criminal forfeiture. After a twelve-day jury trial Dr. Semrau was convicted of three counts of healthcare fraud, and was acquitted on the remaining counts. Dr. Semrau appealed his conviction in United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, U.S. v. Semrau, 693 F.3d 510 (6th Cir. 2012)."(...

Critique of Meta-Analytic Survey of Criterion Accuracy of Validated Polygraph Techniques

"A Meta-Analytic Survey of Criterion Accuracy of Validated Polygraph Techniques was conducted by an Ad-Hoc committee at the direction of the Board of Directors of the American Polygraph Association to review and analyze the status of the scientifi c literature on psychophysiological veracity examinations using the polygraph and evidence in the form of published research supporting the various polygraph techniques. Th e fi nal 113-page report was published in Polygraph, Journal of the American Polygraph Association, Volume 40, Issue 4, 2011. Th is Meta-Analytic Survey was chaired by Michael Gougler with Raymond Nelson as Principal Investigator and Donald Krapohl, Mark Handler, Pam Shaw, and Leonard Bierman as committee members."(...

Minimum Number of Polygraph Charts Required to Reach a Conclusion of Truth or Deception in Psychophysiological Veracity Examinations

"For many years, the American Polygraph Association’s standards of practice required that a minimum of two polygraph charts containing the same test questions had to be collected before a conclusion of truth or deception could be rendered. Th e assessment of the validity of any psychophysiological veracity test is based on the assumption that the test consistently measures the same properties."(...

Limited response to Marcin Gołaszewski's Conclusions From the Meta-Analytic Survey of Criterion Accuracy of Validated Polygraph Techniques

"A lengthy article entitled “Validated Techniques and Scoring Models for PDD Test Data Analysis – Conclusions from the 2011 APA Report” authored by Marcin Gołaszewski and published in European Polygraph, Volume 6, Number 4(22), 2012, listed eight polygraph techniques as having been approved as validated techniques by the American Polygraph Association."(...

Effect of Habituation to Least Threatening Zone Questions of the Most Threatening Zone Comparison Questions in Psychophysiological Veracity Examinations

"During the past 39 years of conducting psychophysiological veracity (PV) examinations, this author observed a phenomenon wherein the responsivity of the confi rmed deceptive and truthful examinees remained constant and often increased with each chart collected on the relevant questions if deceptive or the control questions if truthful. Th is author suspected that the reason for this occurrence was due to the truthful examinee’s habituation to the relevant questions and the deceptive examinee’s habituation to the control questions, as a result of their psychological set being focused on the tests questions having the greatest threat to their security."(...

Setting the Record Concerning the Differences Between the Matte Quadri-Track and the Backster Zone Comparison Techniques

"There has been some question within the polygraph community regarding whether the Matte Quadri-Track Zone Comparison Technique with its innovative changes were original or merely a copy of the Backster Zone Comparison Technique from which the MQTZCT emanated. The published documents provided herein, clearly show that the MQTZCT reduced the Truth Cut-Off scores in its conclusion table six years before the Backster ZCT implemented its Truth Cut-Off score reduction. Th e MQTZCT also retained the value of the Cut-Off scores in each chart, rather than diminish their value with each chart as in the Backster ZCT. Furthermore, it also ameliorated Backster’s “Either-Or” Rule, with the Matte “Dual Equal Strong Reaction” Rule, effectively inhibiting the successful use of countermeasures. Th e MQTZCT introduced the Fear of Error Control Question for comparison with the Hope of Error Relevant Question as a means of addressing the Othello Error (Ekman Dec. 1986). Th e MQTZCT used the Stimulation Test in conjunction with the MQTZCT, contrary to Backster’s rejection and non-use. Th e MQTZCT also eliminated Backster’s superfl uous question regarding prior polygraph tests, and subsequently also eliminated Backster’s drug question."(...

Effect of the Stimulation Test Administered Before and After the First Relevant Chart of the Control Question Test

"During the pretest interview of a psychophysiological veracity (PV) examination, every effort is made to allay any fears the innocent examinee may have regarding the accuracy of the results of the examination, by explaining the scientific principles involved in the test, the sophistication of the polygraph instrument, and the complete objectivity of chart analysis through a numerical quantifi cation system or computer algorithm. However, the best pretest interview by the most competent polygraphist may sometimes fail to convince an examinee of the accuracy and reliability of the PV examination."(...

Foremost Changes in Polygraph in Last 100 Years

"When I attended the Backster School of Lie Detection in New York City in January- February 1972, there were fi ve primary polygraph techniques in use at that time. Namely, the Relevant-Irrelevant Technique, the Reid Technique, the Arther Technique, the Marcy Technique, and the Backster Zone Comparison Technique. Th e changes that followed in the next forty years were signifi cant, and too extensive for discussion in this paper, hence the interested reader is directed to the voluminous textbook (Matte 1996), updated with a Supplement (Matte 2002–2012), available at amazon.com."(...

Psychological Aspects of the Quadri-Track Zone Comparision Technique and Attendant Benefits of its Inside Track

"The Quadri-Track Zone Comparison Technique is a psychological test that infers deception or truthfulness to the target issue by the elimination of variables identified in Chapter 9, Forensic Psychophysiology Using the Polygraph (Matte 1996) that could have caused the autonomic responses other than a deliberate attempt at deception. These variables fall into four categories: (a) Emotionally induced sympathetic response, (b) Non-Emotionally induced sympathetic response, (c) Emotionally induced parasympathetic response, and (d) Factors affecting strength of emotional and non-emotional response."(...