Frank S. Horvath

Frank S. Horvath is affiliated with the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University, where he has conducted extensive research on polygraph testing and credibility assessment. He served as Director of the APA's Research Center in Detection of Deception at Michigan State University and as a Past President of the American Polygraph Association. He also held the position of Chief Scientific Officer for the Department of Defense Polygraph Institute. His career in polygraph research began in the early 1970s with foundational studies conducted in collaboration with John E. Reid, where he was licensed as a polygraph examiner in the State of Illinois and was a Charter Member of the American Polygraph Association.

Horvath's research contributions span over five decades and have significantly shaped modern polygraph science. His early work established crucial benchmarks for the field, including reliability studies of polygraph examiner diagnosis (1971) and investigations into variables affecting interpretation of polygraph records (1977). He conducted landmark field validity studies of the Comparison Question Test (CQT) in the early 1980s, which were influential in assessments by the Office of Technology Assessment. His research extended to pre-employment polygraph screening (PEPS) for law enforcement agencies, and he co-authored studies on technology development for credibility assessment. More recently, he has contributed important historical analyses of the polygraph's development, particularly examining Chicago's role as the birthplace of modern polygraphy and documenting the evolution of testing techniques over a hundred years.

Horvath has received numerous honors from the American Polygraph Association, including the John E. Reid Memorial Award in 1993, the Leonarde Keeler Award in both 1984 and 1986, and the Distinguished Member Award in 2013. He served on the advisory panel for the Office of Technology Assessment's influential review of polygraph validity as Associate Professor at Michigan State University's School of Criminal Justice. Throughout his career, he collaborated extensively with leading figures in the field, including John E. Reid, David C. Raskin, Gordon H. Barland, Stanley M. Slowik, and numerous Department of Defense researchers. He served as an Associate Editor for the journal Polygraph, contributing to the dissemination of research in the field.

Horvath's work bridges academic criminal justice research with practical applications in law enforcement and national security. His studies have examined not only the technical aspects of polygraph instrumentation and scoring but also broader issues such as the use of polygraph testing in applicant screening, the behavioral analysis interview, and cross-cultural considerations in polygraph use. His 2022 publication warning about social intolerance in polygraph testing demonstrates his continued engagement with ethical and international dimensions of credibility assessment well into the 21st century.