A Tremor in the Blood: Uses and Abuses of the Lie Detector

Our Expert Review

As professional polygraph examiners, we approach David T. Lykken's 'A Tremor in the Blood' with the understanding that this work represents the most comprehensive scientific critique of polygraph testing ever written. Lykken was a behavioral geneticist and Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota, best known for his work on twin studies and lie detection. His seminal work scrutinizing the scientific basis of polygraph testing earned him APA's Distinguished Contribution to Psychology in the Public Interest (1991) and Distinguished Scientific Contribution to Applications of Psychology (2001) Awards.

This second edition, published in 1998, builds upon seventeen years after the book's first edition (LJ 10/1/80) with substantial updates reflecting technological advances in deception detection. Lykken offers his own Guilty Knowledge Test (GKT) as based on sounder psychological principles than the dominant polygraph Control Question Test (CQT). Lykken argues that GKT has an ability to detect both guilt and innocence. The book's strength lies in its methodical dismantling of traditional polygraph assumptions through rigorous scientific analysis.

The author presents case histories of persons whose lives have been blighted by our uniquely American faith in the myth of the lie detector. Dr. Lykken also explains how to 'beat' the machine, not only because it is unfair that spies and Mafia soldiers already know these techniques, but also because innocent persons have nearly a 50:50 chance of failing lie detector tests unless they use appropriate countermeasures. While this directness may challenge practicing examiners, it forces necessary conversations about accuracy and ethics in our field.

The book's limitation is its heavily critical stance, which may overshadow legitimate applications of polygraph technology when properly administered. Perhaps the single most influential paper ever written about lie detection was David's 1974 American Psychologist article that, with exceptional clarity, stripped polygraphic interrogation techniques to their essential elements to show that they were devoid of psychological foundation, biased against the innocent, and unlikely to be highly accurate. This paper educated psychologists, lawyers, jurists, politicians, business leaders, and the lay public about the limitations of lie detection. However, Lykken's alternative GKT approach offers valuable insights that progressive examiners should consider integrating into their practice.

Key Takeaways

• Traditional Control Question Test polygraphs have fundamental scientific flaws that make them unreliable
• Innocent people have approximately a 50% chance of failing standard polygraph tests without countermeasures
• The Guilty Knowledge Test offers a more scientifically sound alternative to traditional polygraph methods
• Polygraph results should not be admitted as evidence in legal proceedings due to accuracy concerns
• Physiological responses during testing reflect general arousal rather than specific indicators of deception
• Professional scientific opinion overwhelmingly questions the validity of traditional polygraph techniques
• Countermeasures can be easily learned and applied to defeat polygraph tests
• The polygraph industry has persisted despite lack of scientific support due to cultural and institutional factors
• Proper statistical analysis reveals polygraph accuracy rates are barely better than chance in many applications
• The human cost of false positive results includes destroyed careers and wrongful convictions

What’s Inside

Who Should Read This

Polygraph examiners should read this book to understand the scientific criticisms of their profession and consider integrating more reliable techniques like the Guilty Knowledge Test. The book challenges practitioners to examine their methods critically and provides insights into developing more accurate and ethical testing protocols. Attorneys will gain crucial knowledge about the limitations of polygraph evidence, understanding why many state courts in the U.S. still admit lie detector tests into evidence under certain conditions - a practice that ensures the conviction of more innocent people every year. The legal insights help attorneys challenge polygraph evidence and protect clients from unreliable test results. Researchers in psychology, criminology, and forensic science will find valuable analysis of psychophysiological detection methods and rigorous critique of existing research. Individuals interested in legal and criminal matters and social and psychological testing will welcome this book. Recommended for public libraries. General readers interested in criminal justice, scientific skepticism, or the intersection of technology and law will discover how cultural beliefs can override scientific evidence, making this essential reading for understanding one of the most persistent forensic myths in American society.

About the Author

David Thoreson Lykken (June 18, 1928 – September 15, 2006) was a behavioral geneticist and Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, David Lykken was the youngest of seven children born to Henry G. Lykken and his wife Frances. He joined the United States Navy at 17 and then attended University of Minnesota on the G.I. Bill, earning his Bachelor of Arts (psychology, philosophy and mathematics) 1949, his master's degree in psychology and statistics in 1952, and his doctorate in clinical psychology and neuropsychiatry in 1955. He remained on Minnesota's permanent faculty for his entire career and taught as a visiting professor at Deep Springs College. He was an emeritus professor from 1998 until his death.

In addition to being an APS Fellow and Charter Member, Lykken was a fellow in both the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). His seminal work scrutinizing the scientific basis of polygraph testing earned him APA's Distinguished Contribution to Psychology in the Public Interest (1991) and Distinguished Scientific Contribution to Applications of Psychology (2001) Awards. He served as President of the Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR) and was honored with SPR's Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award (1998). He produced over 200 scholarly works, including four elegantly crafted books devoted to lie detection, antisocial behavior, and happiness. His papers included well-known citation classics dealing with the core deficits underlying psychopathic personality, significance testing, and electrodermal measurement methodology. The GKT (Lykken, 1959, 1960), utilizes a series of multiple-choice questions, each having one relevant alternative (e.g., a feature of the crime under investigation) and several neutral (control) alternatives. The guilty knowledge polygraph test (GKT; D. T. Lykken, 1959, 1960) is a psychophysiological method of identifying suspects with concealed information about a crime.

Publication History

The first edition was published by McGraw-Hill in 1981, establishing Lykken as the leading scientific critic of polygraph testing. The second edition was published by Plenum Publishing Company Limited in 1998, seventeen years later with substantial updates. The 1998 edition was published in New York by Plenum Trade. The book has remained in print in various formats including hardcover and paperback editions. The book contains xvi, 333 pages with comprehensive bibliography and index. Both editions have been widely cited in academic literature and legal proceedings, making it one of the most influential critiques of polygraph testing ever published.

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