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Avital Ginton
Comparison Question Test validity, Relevant Issue Gravity theory, and field polygraph methodology
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About Avital Ginton
Dr. Avital Ginton headed all the polygraph activities in Israel National Police from 1977 to 1994, including Polygraph Field Labs, a Polygraph School, and a Research Unit. A physiological psychologist, he served as past faculty in Tel-Aviv and Bar-Ilan Israeli Universities, and as a retired Police Commander, he was active as part-time faculty in the Psychology Department and the Law Faculty of Tel-Aviv University and Criminology Department in Bar-Ilan University. Since his retirement from the Police force he owns a private independent institute, AV-GN, polygraph, applications & research.
Ginton is best known for developing the Relevant Issue Gravity (RIG) theoretical framework, a concept in psychophysiological detection of deception that reframes the notion of psychological set and the role of attention in CQT polygraph examinations. His innovative method for estimating polygraph CQT accuracy in real-life cases has been considered to be a breakthrough by prominent researchers. His 2013 field study indicated an accuracy rate of 0.94 in detecting guilty examinees (Sensitivity) with a 0.06 False Negative rate and an accuracy rate of 0.835 (Specificity) with False Positive of 0.165 for the innocents. His methodological innovation involved using paired examinations in criminal cases to develop a ground-truth free validation model, avoiding reliance on confessions or physical evidence.
Throughout his career spanning four decades (1982-2022), Ginton has been a prolific contributor to polygraph science, publishing extensively in peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, International Journal of Psychophysiology, European Polygraph, and Journal of Applied Psychology. He has collaborated frequently with notable researchers including Eitan Elaad and Gershon Ben-Shakhar from Hebrew University, producing influential work on examiner bias, comparison question types, and field validity studies. His theoretical contributions, particularly the RIG concept, have sparked ongoing debate within the field, with his work receiving both strong support from practitioners and critical scrutiny from academic researchers.
Ginton's research demonstrates a rare bridge between field practice and academic rigor. His work on adaptive polygraphy argues for evidence-based flexibility in polygraph practice rather than rigid standardization, and his studies examining confirmation bias in polygraph examiners have contributed to quality control in operational settings. His advocacy for the Concealed Information Test (CIT) alongside his critical analysis of the Comparison Question Test (CQT) reflects his commitment to improving the scientific foundation of deception detection methods.
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Researchers who have co-authored studies with Avital Ginton.
Publications [21]
All peer-reviewed studies by Avital Ginton in our database.
Possible Sources of the Difference in the Severity of the Prior Information Effect on Polygraph Scoring Found in Three Published Studies
Prior information effects on polygraph scoring vary significantly across studies, with real-world impact estimated to adversely affect only 3-5% of polygraph examinations in practice. [002] 2023 Journal of Police and Criminal PsychologyCalculating the Base Rate in Polygraph Populations and the Posterior Confidence in the Obtained Results in the Comparison Question Test, Built upon the Proportion of Outcomes: the Case of Israel Police
[003] 2022 European PolygraphThoughts on the Inconclusive Zone in Comparison Question Test (CQT)
Inconclusive results indicate CQT method failure to identify the subject's state of mind rather than reflecting actual truthfulness, requiring fundamental reframing of how examiners interpret these outcomes. [004] 2021 European PolygraphEvidence Based Practice Integration into Polygraph Practice: A Suggested Paradigm
The paper argues that the polygraph field's movement toward rigid standardization may have overcorrected, potentially sacrificing necessary clinical flexibility for individual cases and circumstances. [005] 2021 European PolygraphFrom a Rigid Cover to an Elastic One Via a Blanket too Short: An Adaptive Polygraph Approach
The paper advocates for adaptive polygraph approaches that tailor protocols to specific case circumstances and examinee characteristics, similar to personalized medicine, rather than rigid 'one size fits all' standardization, with… [006] 2019 Social Sciences & Humanities OpenBasic vs. Applied Psychology perspectives lead to different implications from the same data; reevaluating the impact of prior expectations on polygraph outcomes
Examiner bias impacts only 3% of total polygraph examinations in real-world conditions, occurring only when charts are objectively inconclusive and multiple limiting conditions align. [007] 2019 Anti-Terrorism; Forensic Science; Psychology in Police InvestigationsA Built-In Validity in Polygraph Field Examinations (1)
[008] 2019 European PolygraphEssentials of the Relevant Issue Gravity (RIG) Strength: A Theoretical Framework for Understanding the Comparison Question Test (CQT)
The RIG framework reframes CQT theory by emphasizing differential attention binding rather than simple threat perception, with the critical task being management of attention diversion in truthful examinees while minimizing… [009] 2017 • FIELD STUDY Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, 14(2), 131–149Examining Different Types of Comparison Questions in a Field Study of CQT Polygraph Technique
Field study comparing different types of comparison questions in real criminal investigations. Provided evidence for the practical effectiveness of both exclusive and non-exclusive comparison questions in operational settings. [010] 2013 Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender ProfilingDecisions To Be Taken in the Use of Polygraph Examinations for Verifying Complaints About Violence: Analysis and Policy Recommendations
[011] 2012 Psychology, Crime & LawA non-standard method for estimating the accuracy of lie detection techniques demonstrated on a self-validating set of field polygraph examinations
The study found 94% accuracy for detecting guilty examinees and 83.5% for truthful examinees when excluding 20% inconclusive outcomes. When inconclusives were forced to decisions, accuracy dropped to 80% for… [012] 2009Relevant Issue Gravity (RIG) strength – a new concept in PDD that reframes the notion of psychological set and the role of attention in CQT polygraph
RIG strength represents the intensity of attention directed toward the relevant issue based on internal cognitive and emotional preoccupation rather than external stimuli, and distributes differently between guilty and innocent… [013] 2009 • THEORETICAL PolygraphRelevant Issue Gravity (RIG) Strength: A New Concept in PDD
Introduced the Relevant Issue Gravity concept, proposing that the psychological weight of relevant questions influences CQT accuracy. Provided a theoretical framework explaining why serious criminal cases produce stronger physiological discrimination. [014] 1998 Psychology, Crime and LawThe role of prior expectations in polygraph examiners decisions
Prior expectations produced no discernible effect on polygraph test outcomes when examiners conducted complete examinations including pre-test interviews, suggesting that behavioral information from direct examiner-examinee interaction may counteract confirmation bias… [015] 1997 Polygraph - The Journal of Israeli Polygraph Examiners Association (IPEA)Polygraph examination for verifying the complaint of an alleged victim
[016] 1994 Journal of Behavioral Decision MakingThe effects of prior expectations and outcome knowledge on polygraph examiners' decisions
Prior expectations created statistically significant bias in scoring inconclusive polygraph charts, affecting both experienced and inexperienced examiners. However, when physiological evidence clearly contradicted expectations, judgments remained unaffected, suggesting strong objective… [017] 1993 Unpublished manuscript - Kennedy School of Government, Harvard UniversityUsage of polygraphic detection of deception test, in verifying complaints about violence; analysis, and policy recommendations
Two fundamental CQT assumptions encounter difficulties when testing violence victims, increasing false positive error risk. The paper establishes that polygraphing authentic victims adds psychological suffering and requires a systematic cost-benefit… [018] 1992 Journal of Applied PsychologyDetection Measures in Real-Life Criminal Guilty Knowledge Tests
Another critical field study of CIT with real criminal cases. Found detection rates consistent with laboratory predictions, though noted challenges with false negative rates in uncontrolled conditions. [019] 1986 Unpublished research - Tel-Aviv University and Israel PoliceSelective Attention Induced by Relevant Items Modeling CQT Effect
The research demonstrated that selective attention processes could model CQT effects, with relevant items inducing attention patterns that differ between truth-tellers and deceivers. This finding suggested that the strength of… [020] 1982 • MOCK CRIME/FIELD Journal of Applied PsychologyA Method for Evaluating the Use of the Polygraph in a Real-Life Situation
Innovative Israeli study using real crime scenario with unknown ground truth to evaluate polygraph accuracy. Demonstrated CQT effectiveness in a naturalistic military context. [021] 1982 • MOCK CRIME Journal of Applied PsychologyCQT Lab Accuracy with Community Participants
Used community rather than student volunteers for increased ecological validity. Found accuracy rates comparable to field studies, supporting generalizability of lab results.Explore all research.
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