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who's had a polygraph?

$tinkle

Expert on blowing
Feb 12, 2003
14,591
6
any type, lifestyle, partial, etc.
i've heard vague things, from people who were reticent to open up.

will they ask me if i scratch my hoop & smell my finger?
 

pinkshirtphotos

site moron
Jul 5, 2006
4,827
521
Vernon, NJ
i had a career day back when i was in 6th grade and they hooked me up to one, funny thing was they asked my name and age to calibrate the machine then they said i was lying where i live, and the colour of my shirt......
 

X3pilot

Texans fan - LOL
Aug 13, 2007
5,860
1
SoMD
several times for *ahem* background investigations for clearances.

Most notable? Polygraph operators usually have little sense of humor for smart-assed answers.

Just sayin...
 

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,580
2,005
Seattle
i had a career day back when i was in 6th grade and they hooked me up to one, funny thing was they asked my name and age to calibrate the machine then they said i was lying where i live, and the colour of my shirt......
Guess that's why they were calibrating it. :D
 

BikeGeek

BrewMonkey
Jul 2, 2001
4,573
273
Hershey, PA
If you're up for a US Gov. security clearance, they're sometimes more interested in the reaction to the question than they are in the answer to the question, depending on the level of clearance.
 

$tinkle

Expert on blowing
Feb 12, 2003
14,591
6
several times for *ahem* background investigations for clearances.

Most notable? Polygraph operators usually have little sense of humor for smart-assed answers.

Just sayin...
one guy i knew said he was unphased by the whole affair.
the other one wanted to kill anyone wearing a suit for 4 months

are you allowed to post here what kind of questions were asked, what the atmosphere was like, how silly the interviewer(s) appear b/c they take their job too seriously?

i can't imagine it's a very intimidating or intrusive ordeal, but i have nothing to go on.

oh, & i haven't done anything "interesting" in the past 10 years.
 

Trckmastr

Chimp
Mar 9, 2008
8
0
Nor Cal
I've had a CVSA ( Computer Voice Stress Analysis)...which is the new form of Lie detector. It runs off your heartbeat and vocal choird stress. Much more accurate. They SUCK!
 

X3pilot

Texans fan - LOL
Aug 13, 2007
5,860
1
SoMD
Like AMS said, it's more for reaction and to me it was more of a truth detector.

They ask a series of reference questions, i.e. Is you name _____, do you lived at______ to establish a sort of baseline.

Then they ask you control questions, i.e. sort of questions you pretty much have to lie at, the its pretty mundane after that.

I got asked a lot of questions on one back in the 80s after the Jerry Whitworth spy scandal in the Navy. Mainly because I had the same last name and held a security clearance.

All in all, pretty boring affair.

However..do NOT make joking references to choking chickens or any activity that would involve Velveeta cheese...
 

Zutroy

Turbo Monkey
Dec 9, 2004
2,443
0
Ventura,CA
I've had a CVSA ( Computer Voice Stress Analysis)...which is the new form of Lie detector. It runs off your heartbeat and vocal choird stress. Much more accurate. They SUCK!

CSVA doesn't work with a damn. It's on par with chance. Poly is only marginally better and it depends on how good the examiner is at his job.

Oh, and as it's been stated, they don't have a sense of humor at all...........
 

Trckmastr

Chimp
Mar 9, 2008
8
0
Nor Cal
CSVA doesn't work with a damn. It's on par with chance. Poly is only marginally better and it depends on how good the examiner is at his job.

Oh, and as it's been stated, they don't have a sense of humor at all...........

It worked perfectly when I took mine 3 years ago for my pre-employment tests. Nailed everything on the head.
 

SPINTECK

Turbo Monkey
Oct 16, 2005
1,370
0
abc
CSVA doesn't work with a damn. It's on par with chance. Poly is only marginally better and it depends on how good the examiner is at his job.

Oh, and as it's been stated, they don't have a sense of humor at all...........
I don't know how CSVA would be worse b/c the CSVA in this thread stated it use heart rate (like a polly) with the addition of voice deflection/tone?
 

Zutroy

Turbo Monkey
Dec 9, 2004
2,443
0
Ventura,CA
It worked perfectly when I took mine 3 years ago for my pre-employment tests. Nailed everything on the head.
Well, they're now banned by the DOD, no alphabet soup agency will touch it, and all the research is show less than 50% accuracy.

You got lucky it went the right way.
 

Trckmastr

Chimp
Mar 9, 2008
8
0
Nor Cal
Well, they're now banned by the DOD, no alphabet soup agency will touch it, and all the research is show less than 50% accuracy.

You got lucky it went the right way.
Wow, most local law enforcement agencies around me still use them. Hadn't heard that.
 

Zutroy

Turbo Monkey
Dec 9, 2004
2,443
0
Ventura,CA
I don't know how CSVA would be worse b/c the CSVA in this thread stated it use heart rate (like a polly) with the addition of voice deflection/tone?
Traditional poly uses HR, breath rate, GSR and BP, and basically they looks for a change in them.

Basically in CSVA HR is a signal to the system to look for the voice strain.
 

Zutroy

Turbo Monkey
Dec 9, 2004
2,443
0
Ventura,CA
Wow, most local law enforcement agencies around me still use them. Hadn't heard that.
A lot do, doesn't mean they work. DOD had them at Gitmo and found out how bad they were. A rape case in vegas a year or two ago got thrown out because they used it.

Poly can be really inaccurate, but it's everywhere too.
 

Zutroy

Turbo Monkey
Dec 9, 2004
2,443
0
Ventura,CA
That is because you can learn to beat them.

You can also be too stupid and just fail them (see PSP's post above).
Has nothing to do with beating it. It's a coin flip even when you're not trying to beat it.

According to the main people that push them, you shouldn't be able to beat it, because it's an involuntary reaction.
 

Zutroy

Turbo Monkey
Dec 9, 2004
2,443
0
Ventura,CA
Of course the people that "push" it will say that it cannot be beaten...

:disgust1:
The theory it's based on says it can't be. So if you can, then it doesn't work in the first place.

They do make nice props to make people nervous though.............
 

JohnE

filthy rascist
May 13, 2005
13,430
1,949
Front Range, dude...
Works mainly off your physiological reactions to the control/baseline questions. Bunch of crap.

Just dont tell the guy giving the test that you dont beleive in the efficacy of the test, that is not admissable in court, or that you know how to beat it. Sure way to get off on the wrong foot.

I think they learn to give the test by mail order...kind of like locksmithing.
 

MTBstud12

Monkey
Jan 24, 2008
484
0
Tejas
i had a career day back when i was in 6th grade and they hooked me up to one, funny thing was they asked my name and age to calibrate the machine then they said i was lying where i live, and the colour of my shirt......
Are you sure it was a polygraph.... :twitch:

I thought you were trying to tell us you had a career... I got nervous.
 

Reactor

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2005
3,976
1
Chandler, AZ, USA
several times for *ahem* background investigations for clearances.

Most notable? Polygraph operators usually have little sense of humor for smart-assed answers.

Just sayin...


What he said. There is generally zero tolerance for screwing around. If you try to be evasive or try to answer deceptively, you will fail.
 

JohnE

filthy rascist
May 13, 2005
13,430
1,949
Front Range, dude...
Used to screw with the operators at my HS job at a large retail sporting goods store. Smart ass HS kid giving the frustrated chain smoking old guy a hard time. They dont like "maybe" answers after they have told you 15 times to answer yes or no...
What were they going to do, fire me from a minimum wage geek job?
 

Dog Welder

Turbo Monkey
Sep 7, 2001
1,123
0
Pasadena, CA
I've taken one when i got hired with the fire department. They are jacked up. The most random s#it pops into your head at the worst time. A polygraph obviously doesn't work all the time that's why most places that require you to take a polygraph also require you to take a psyche exam and background investigation. Basically if you admit that you smoke pole in your background and fail to mention it in the poly and psyche then there are discrepencies. Based on the magnitude and quantity of descrepencies, then an employer will decide to hire or not hire you.
 
Folks used to review chicken entrails and tea leaves to determine truth.

Now they look at recordings of physiological function.

Neither approach is useful, other than to give the examiners an inflated sense of self-importance and to provide a rationale for the subjective judgement du jour.
 

syadasti

i heart mac
Apr 15, 2002
12,690
290
VT
Folks used to review chicken entrails and tea leaves to determine truth.

Now they look at recordings of physiological function.

Neither approach is useful, other than to give the examiners an inflated sense of self-importance and to provide a rationale for the subjective judgement du jour.
Yes the polygraph is a joke. Huge waste of money with no support from the scientific community in a long time.

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