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Essay on the limitations of the polygraph
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Since the father of lies deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden man has been telling lies and other men have been trying different ways to detect the truth. Some of these ways of detecting the truth were crude but they were the pioneers to today’s polygraph test.
A heated dagger placed on the tongue determined the amount of saliva in the speaker's mouth. Supposedly, the more saliva, the greater likelihood the speaker was communicating the truth. The ancient Hindus demanded those accused of lying to chew rice and spit it onto a consecrated leaf for observation. If the rice was dry, without saliva, the person was thought to be lying (Slate & Anderson, 1996).
Around 1500 BC, Indian priests soaked a donkey's tail with carbon remains from an oil lamp and put the animal in a dark tent. Those suspected of lying were sent into the tent and told that pulling the "magic" donkey's tail would expose the liar (if a guilty man pulls his tail, the donkey will bray). When the suspects came out of the tent, the priests inspected their hands. The ones with spotless hands had not touched the donkey's tail. It was assumed that this was due to many suspects’ fear of their guilt being discovered, proving they were liars.
In ancient Sparta before being accepted to special schools Spartan young men needed to pass the selection criteria. They were ordered to stand on the edge of a cliff, and were asked if they were afraid. The answer was always a loud and clear no. However, its honesty was decided by the young men’s complexion. It was determined that the pale young men lied and they were shoved off the cliff.
In Ancient Rome bodyguard screening was handled using a comparable method. Bodyguard candidates were asked titillating questions. Those who...
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...forcement agencies. The polygraph is also used by state and local law enforcement agencies, U.S. and district attorney offices, public defenders, lawyers, parole and probation departments, public and private companies (ARGO-A, p. 4).
Works Cited
ARGO-A (2010) found that “in 1973 Lafayette Instrument Company transformed the lie detection market by creating the first polygraph (PGS) in the world that realized the wishes of all polygraph examiners. Argo-A (2010) also found that “in 2007, the Lafayette Instrument Company invented the first wireless computerized polygraph in the world called the LX5000-SW” (p. 4). Argo-A also found “in 2008, Lafayette developed the ultramodern portable lie detector (PCASS) for the Pentagon. Their currently manufactured computerized polygraph LX4000-SW is the most reliable and popular lie detector on the planet” (p. 4).
“A good liar uses the truth.” This is a technique used by notorious imposters Frederic Bourdin, and Frank Abagnale. Although Bourdin posed as a child for a second chance at adolescence, Abagnale posed as an adult to gain financial means and respect. Bourdin and Abagnale’s success in deception can be primarily attributed to their careful observation of their surroundings, as well as their ability to detect the emotions of those around them.
In “The Interview” by Douglas Starr, He talks about the different techniques they use when interrogating suspects to determine whether the suspect is lying. One technique they use is called the Reid Technique and that is when
Richard Gunderman asks the question, "Isn 't there something inherently wrong with lying, and “in his article” Is Lying Bad for Us?" Similarly, Stephanie Ericsson states, "Sure I lie, but it doesn 't hurt anything. Or does it?" in her essay, "The Ways We Lie.” Both Gunderman and Ericsson hold strong opinions in regards to lying and they appeal to their audience by incorporating personal experiences as well as references to answer the questions that so many long to confirm.
One of the last types of ways investigators are coached to detect deception is in the behavioral attitudes of a person being interviewed such as being unconcerned or over anxious (Kassin, 2005). The success rate of looking for these cues are very successful in telling if an individual is being deceitful and has surpassed any laboratory tests conducted on the subject. The laboratory test however did reveal some interesting facts. The research showed that people who had training and experience did not score better than the control group who received no training. In fact all individuals scored at the chance level with the people who had training scored just above chance or at the chance level. To check if special training in the detection of deception was more accurate a study ...
Lying is an issue that has been debated on for a long time. Some people believe that lying is sometimes ok in certain circumstances. Some people believe lying is always acceptable. In contrast, some believe lying is always bad. Keeping all other’s opinions in mind, I believe that lying is a deficient way of solving problems and is a bad thing. I claim that only certain situations allow the usage of lies and that otherwise, lying is bad. Dishonesty is bad because it makes it harder to serve justice, harms the liar individually, and messes up records. Furthermore, it should only be said to protect someone from grave danger.
First, you need to figure out what education requirements you might need to complete. Both polygraph examiner and FBI special agent require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. It is good to check what the demand is for the profession you are interested in. Both of these jobs show growth into 2020 but, the examiner position has the highest percentage of increase. The special agent position pays more but requires work experience, a battery of testing, and longer work hours. A certified polygraph examiner with some experience can apply to work at the CIA or the FBI. Though these careers are similar it seems that a polygraph examiner is a better position to start with and then you can branch into the CIA or FBI if you
Stephanie Ericsson’s The Ways We Lie, analyzes and reflects on how lying has simply become the norm in our society. We all lie, there is not one person in the world that does not lie. Most people lie because they are afraid of telling the truth, however what they do not know is telling a lie can lead them in the wrong direction because many things can happen when lying to a person. The person can find out when everything unravels that person will not have trust in you and you would be known as a liar. To every action there is a consequence, so why not deal with just one consequence when telling the
After reviewing the article “Inside Interrogation: The Lie, The Bluff, and False Confessions”, it became very evident the huge problem with interrogations and false confessions in the criminal justice system is with false confession. Jennifer T. Perillo and Saul M. Kassin crafted three distinct experiments to try and better understand false confessions and how trues the actual numbers in real life are. What Perillo and Kassin were trying to prove is that “the bluff technique should elicit confessions from perpetrators but not from innocents” (Perillo, Kassin 2010). What is called the “Bluff Technique” is an interrogation technique that uses a sort of threat or hint that there is certain proof that a person will think is more of a promise for
Later the narrator is an educated young man in his teens. He's followed his grandfathers' words and it results in him being obedient to the views of the white men. The narrator is invited to recite a speech at a local town gathering which included politicians and town leaders. The narrator is forced to compete in a battle royal. He had to box blindfolded, get electrified by a rug filled with fake brass coins, and humiliated when it was time for him to give his speech. The problem with the boys understanding of the grandfather's ideology is that he doesn't know where his limit is. It almost seems as if he would go through anything the white men put in his way but even after that, the men tell him to correct himself when he even mentions social equality. The narrator is rewarded for his obedience with a scholarship, but the true value of the scholarship is questioned in a dream where the scholarship paper read, "To Whom It May Concern Keep This Nigger-Boy Running.
It tells us how often we lie or tend to lie under different situations and scenarios by taking real world examples. Kornet explained and analyze the result of various studies by Bella DePaulo, a psychologist at the University of Virginia and her colleagues. As lying and deception becomes an integral part of every individual, it is important to know its impact and its results on our life. We are lying about one or the other thing at almost every moment of our life. It can be at workplace, in a relationship, or even friendship. Kornet concludes this article by saying, “The ubiquity of lying is clearly a problem, but would we want to will away all of our lies? Let’s be honest.” I completely agrees with the author as we have to take a step against lying and deception and to be honest in our lives. Kornet’s article provides really good studies and after analyzing those studies one can think of his/her lying habit and how often he lies in a day. I myself tried and thinking about how many times in a day I lie, and found that I lie a number of times in a day. This article is really interesting and I encourage everyone to read this article. After reading this article, you will come to know the actual truth about lying and its
Valentine, T., & Maras, K. (2011). The effect of cross-examination on the accuracy of adult eyewitness testimony. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 25, 554-561. doi: 10.1002/acp.1768
The idea of a technique that can help people seek the truth has been around since 1878 thanks to the work of Angelo Mosso. It was not until later on that the polygraph was modified and used in conjunction with law enforcements. The polygraph was first used in 1895 and later on modified to modern technology and computerize around 1992. Polygraph has been around for centuries but is still an inconsistent technique and grounds for errors at court. The polygraph can cause the case in court to be grounds for dismissal and well as a mistrial. The polygraph also crosses the line within the Constitution specifically the Fifth, Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments by violating the due process and the self-incrimination guarantees which are part on these
In society, some people are looked at as liars or “bullshitters,” as stated in the article, “Is Lying Bad for Us?” Honesty is not always the best policy, and in certain situations, liars are best not to tell the truth when protecting the innocent, or protecting oneself. Because of this, lying should be looked at as a standard in society and something that people recognize in every day life.
These sources were: pricking, swimming and watching. Pricking was based on the theory that every witch bore the mark of the Devil which was insensitive to pain. Thus a witch's body was searched for such a mark and then pricked. If the accused did not respond to pain this signified guilt.
The lie detector Sometimes known as polygraph. But its not really reliable. They basically base these lie detectors off of nervousness. Like the old times. They made people lick hot irons, put rice powder in your mouth see if you would spti it out, and even try to swallow bread and cheese. (Source #3, Paragraph 2). Now days the check blood pressure, Skin resistance, pulse, and also breathing. But people can easily get nervous. They might even get nervbous to come into an office to be accused of a crime. What if your the wrong person and they come ask you to lick a iron. I bet you would be nervous too. So most people think that the shouldnt base lie detectors off of nervousness.