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Journal file
Polygraph
132 peer-reviewed polygraph studies · 1972–2024
Authors in Polygraph [98]
Research topics
All studies [132]
Every peer-reviewed study from Polygraph in our database, ordered newest first.
Comparison of OSS-3 and PolyScore in Multi-Issue and Single-Issue Field Exams
Compared computerized scoring algorithms on field data. OSS-3 correctly identified 71% truthful and 96% deceptive with 14% inconclusive rate, outperforming…
A Discussion of PLC and DLC Question Procedure and Ironic Process Theory
The paper introduces Ironic Process Theory to polygraph science, suggesting that the conscious effort to lie when directed paradoxically increases…
Devil's Advocate Tactic to Generate Rapport
The Devil's Advocate tactic for rapport generation provides examiners with a structured method to reduce examinee defensiveness while building trust…
Credibility Assessment Using Bayesian Credible Intervals: A Replication Study
Replicated earlier accuracy findings using Bayesian credible intervals and the ESS-M scoring method. Confirmed high accuracy with event-specific polygraphs using…
Extended Analysis with ESS and OSS-3 on USAF-MGQT Examination Data
Applied ESS and OSS-3 to USAF examination data. Found ESS component weighting achieved superior diagnostic extraction compared to simpler three-position…
2015 Update to the APA 2011 Meta-Analytic Survey of Validated Polygraph Techniques
Updated the 2011 APA meta-analysis with new studies and data. Confirmed mean accuracy of .89 for event-specific diagnostic polygraphs (95%…
Pre-test Breathing Instructions
Pre-test breathing instructions nearly doubled examiner perceptions of countermeasures (from 40.8% to 59.2%) and increased artifact detection rates, with concerning…
Updated Meta-Analytic Survey of Validated Polygraph Techniques
Extension of the 2011 APA meta-analytic survey with additional validated techniques. Confirmed mean accuracy rates of approximately 89% for event-specific…
The Vasomotor Response in the Comparison Question Test
Vasomotor responses were found to be highly useful in discriminating deception, with large main effects of guilt detected by both…
Scientific basis for polygraph testing
The review demonstrates that modern polygraph practice is based on sophisticated models involving differential salience and signal detection theory rather…
Relevant-Irrelevant Screening Format Accuracy
Concluded that the decision accuracy of the RIR screening format is substantially poorer than other validated screening formats. Provided evidence-based…
A Case Study of the Validity of the Arther Examination
Among 9 DNA-confirmed innocent suspects, the Arther technique produced a 44.4% false positive rate (4 of 9 errors), with results…
Polygraph and 215 Wrongful Conviction Exonerations
Examined the relationship between polygraph testing and wrongful convictions across 215 exoneration cases. Analyzed how polygraph evidence was used or…
Information gain of the directed lie screening test
DLST/ESS provided meaningful information gain (>5%) across nearly all plausible base rates, substantially exceeding the performance of unassisted professional veracity…
A Case Study of the Validity of the Arther Examination Procedures in a Criminal Case with DNA Confirmation
The AEP produced a 44% false positive error rate among DNA-exonerated innocent suspects, with statistical analysis showing these outcomes are…
Polygraph Principles: A Literature Review
Comprehensive review of the scientific principles underlying modern polygraph testing, including signal detection theory, test data analysis methods, and statistical…
Human and computer decision-making in the psychophysiological detection of deception
Only electrodermal response amplitude, cardiograph baseline increase, and respiration line length proved valid and reliable indicators of deception across all…
Monte Carlo Study of Criterion Validity for Two-Question Zone Comparison Tests with the ESS
Used Monte Carlo simulation methods to establish statistical confidence intervals for ESS scoring across various test formats and decision rules.…
Meta-Analytic Survey of Criterion Accuracy of Validated Polygraph Techniques
38 studies met inclusion criteria, involving 32 different samples, 45 experiments, 295 scorers, and 11,737 scored results from 3,723 examinations.…
Using the Empirical Scoring System
Validation data across 13 dimensions of criterion accuracy from 5,192 scored results of 732 confirmed ZCT examinations demonstrated strong performance…
The Use of Physiological Measures to Detect Deception in Juveniles
Examined CQT application with juvenile populations. Found that physiological measures can effectively detect deception in younger examinees, expanding the evidence…
Criterion validity of the Empirical Scoring System and the Objective Scoring System, version 3 with the USAF Modified General Question Technique
Manual ESS achieved 88.2% unweighted accuracy, automated ESS achieved 89.7%, and the OSS-3 computer algorithm reached 90.2% correct decisions, with…
Reliability of the Empirical Scoring System with expert examiners
Fleiss kappa of .61 (95% CI: .54–.68) indicated substantial inter-rater agreement on numerical scores, while mean decision agreement reached 95.4%…
Empirical Scoring System: A Cross-Cultural Replication and Extension Study
International validation with 19 trainees scoring 100 confirmed cases. Achieved mean accuracy of 90.1% (95% CI: 83.8–95.8%), demonstrating ESS validity…
Criterion Validity of the Empirical Scoring System with experienced examiners: Comparison with the seven-position evidentiary model Using the Federal Zone Comparison Technique
No statistically significant differences were found between the ESS and seven-position evidentiary model across 13 dimensions of criterion accuracy when…
Psychological Set or Differential Salience: A Proposal for Reconciling Theory and Terminology in Polygraph Testing
The authors propose replacing 'Psychological Set' with 'Differential Salience' as the theoretical basis of polygraph testing, demonstrating that the new…
A Proposal for Reconciling Theory and Terminology in Polygraph Testing
Addressed the need for standardized terminology and theoretical consistency across polygraph testing methods. Proposed a unified framework to reconcile competing…
Some Thoughts About Feelings: A Study in the Role of Cognition and Emotion in Psychophysiological Detection of Deception
Cognitive appraisal of goal-relevant test questions — not fear alone — mediates the range of emotional and physiological responses recorded…
An Assessment of the Backster Either-Or Rule in Polygraph 240 Scoring
Application of the Either-Or Rule increased correct decisions from 70% to 80% and reduced inconclusives from 27% to 17%, with…
Polygraph Testing in Colombia (Two-Part Study)
Documented polygraph testing practices and outcomes in Colombia. Provided international field data on CQT applications outside North America, demonstrating cross-cultural…
Some thoughts about feelings: a study of the role of cognition and emotion in polygraph testing
The paper proposes that polygraph-recorded physiological responses arise from two appraisal routes — conceptual/schematic and associative/reinstatement — combined with conditioned…
A Test of the ESS with Two-Question Field Cases
Validated ESS for two-question test formats. Found accuracy remained robust even with reduced question count, supporting ESS utility for shorter…
Relevant 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…
Focused polygraph technique for PCSOT and law enforcement screening programs
The paper proposes a standardized DLST format with two neutral questions, one sacrifice relevant question, two separate relevant questions, and…
Model policy for post-conviction sex offender testing
The policy establishes that PCSOT examiners must complete specialized 40-hour training, maintain 30 hours of continuing education every two years,…
Information Gain of the CQT Over Interpersonal Deception Detection
Used Information Gain analysis to demonstrate CQT provides significant improvement over human deception detection across nearly the complete range of…
A Replication and Validation Study on an Empirically Based Manual Scoring System
Replicated ESS validation with independent sample of confirmed cases. Results consistent with original validation studies, supporting reliability of the scoring…
An exploration of emotion and cognition during polygraph testing
Polygraph testing activates a complex array of emotions mediated by both subconscious and conscious cognitive appraisal processes, with specific emotions…
Brute-force comparison: A Monte Carlo study of the Objective Scoring System version 3 (OSS-3) and human polygraph scorers
OSS-3 exceeded the decision accuracy of 10 human scorers and 9 out of 10 individual scorers across six accuracy dimensions.…
Effectiveness of the Air Force Modified General Question Test Format
Validated the USAF-MGQT format with total accuracy of 83.8% and definitive accuracy of 84.9%. Demonstrated effectiveness of the military’s standard…
Development and validation of the Objective Scoring System version 3
OSS-3 achieved 88% average decision accuracy with balanced sensitivity and specificity, with computer algorithms providing perfect interrater reliability compared to…
A focused polygraph technique for PCSOT and law enforcement screening programs
The authors argue that the DLST, derived from validated TES research (98% accuracy for innocent and 83.3% for guilty examinees…
Objective Scoring System, Version 3 (OSS-3): Development and Validation
Described the OSS-3 algorithm and used brute-force methods to compare accuracy against previous versions and human examiners. OSS-3 demonstrated balanced…
An Empirically Based Normative System for Test Data Analysis
Introduced the Empirical Scoring System based on normative physiological data. Provided validation across 732 confirmed examinations scored by 140 examiners…
Exploration of a Two-Stage Approach for PDD Data Analysis
Developed two-stage scoring approach combining Grand Total and Spot Score rules. Reduced inconclusive rates while maintaining decision accuracy, adopted widely…
An Assessment of the Backster ‘Either-Or’ Rule in Polygraph Scoring
Empirically tested Backster’s long-standing “Either-Or” scoring rule. Found the rule did not improve accuracy and recommended against its routine use,…
Air Force Modified General Question Test Validation Study
The AFMGQT produced total and definitive accuracy rates that significantly exceeded chance levels for both truthful and deceptive participants in…
Improving the detection of physical countermeasures with chair sensors
The addition of countermeasure sensors significantly improved examiners' performance in detecting physical countermeasures, while sensor information did not affect scores…
Psychological structure and theoretical concept of the Backster Zone Comparison Technique and the Quadri-Track Zone Comparison Technique
The paper articulates fundamental principles showing that the examinee's psychological set must be self-directed without examiner influence, and that comparison…
Polygraph terms for the 21st century
The central recommendation is to replace 'psychological set' with 'salience,' a term more widely recognized in scientific literature. Additional key…
Criminalistic diagnostic investigation using a polygraph
Kholodny established that polygraph testing detects mental impressions of criminal events stored in memory, legitimizing polygraph examination as a specialized…
Psychophysiological Mechanisms in Deception Detection: A Theoretical Overview
The paper concluded that polygraph responses are not driven by fear alone but by psychological salience arising from multiple cognitive…
Development of the Objective Scoring System (OSS) and Empirical Scoring System (ESS)
Developed and validated the OSS and ESS computerized scoring methods, resulting in more objective and stable analysis of psychophysiological outcomes.…
Comparison of evidentiary and investigative decision rules: A replication
Evidentiary Decision Rules outperformed Investigative Decision Rules on accuracy, inconclusive rate reduction, and error balance, replicating and confirming the findings…
Interrogation using polygraph and its scientific basis
Task-oriented memory test theory provides the most parsimonious explanation for differential physiological responses in polygraph testing, better accounting for both…
EDA Primer for Polygraph Examiners
Electrodermal response is the most robust and informative signal in polygraph testing, driven exclusively by sympathetic nervous system activity and…
Validated polygraph techniques
The paper identified which polygraph techniques met validation standards circa 2006, but sparked controversy by including techniques with low accuracy…
The Impact of Averaging Assigned Scores on Polygraph Decision Accuracy
Averaging assigned scores from multiple evaluators prior to the decision stage did not consistently or significantly improve ZCT decision accuracy…
An Exploration of Methods for the Analysis of Multiple-Issue Relevant/Irrelevant Screening Data
Different scoring and analytical methods produce meaningfully different accuracy and inconclusive rates on Multiple-Issue R/I data, with structured numerical scoring…
Polygraph Decision Rules for Evidentiary and Paired Testing (Marin Protocol)
Established decision rules specifically for evidentiary-quality polygraph examinations, with more conservative cutscores to minimize errors in legal contexts.
Use of Polygraph in Law Enforcement Internal Affairs Investigations
Judicial precedent permits law enforcement agencies to require employees to submit to polygraph examinations during bona fide internal investigations, but…
Sexual history disclosure using the polygraph in a sample of British sex offenders in treatment
Polygraph-facilitated sexual history disclosure produced significant increases in admitted victims and offenses beyond all existing records, with 93% of participants…
Efficacy of Detecting Deception in Psychopaths Using a Polygraph
The review addressed a critical gap in understanding psychopaths' susceptibility to polygraph testing despite theoretical concerns about their reduced emotional…
A Comparison of Polygraph Data Evaluation Conventions Used at the University of Utah and the Department of Defense Polygraph Institute
All scorers achieved highest accuracy using University of Utah chart evaluation rules regardless of training institution, demonstrating that scoring conventions…
The Relationship Between Facial Skin Surface Temperature Reactivity and Traditional Polygraph Measures Used in the Psychophysiological Detection of Deception: A Preliminary Investigation
Combined polygraph and thermal imaging achieved 92% accuracy compared to 88% for polygraph alone and 70% for thermal imaging alone,…
Relative efficacy of the Utah, Backster, and federal scoring rules: A preliminary investigation
The Backster scoring system produced larger negative values and an imbalance in conclusive scores compared to Utah and Federal systems,…
Modified General Question Test Decision Rule Exploration
Systematic exploration of decision rules for the MGQT format. Identified optimal cutscores and two-stage decision rules that maximized accuracy while…
The Rank Order Scoring System: Replication and Extension with Field Data
ROSS achieved 80.3% accuracy with inconclusives and 91.6% without them in a 300-case field sample, showing no statistically significant difference…
Psychological Set: Its Origin, Theory and Application
The paper documented that psychological set theory proposes examinees focus attention and arousal on question categories perceived as most threatening—relevant…
Effects of spontaneous countermeasures used against the comparison question test
Spontaneous countermeasures were attempted by 67.7% of participants but did not affect outcomes for guilty examinees while significantly shifting innocent…
A concise history of the comparison question
The comparison question concept predates Reid's 1947 publication, with Walter Summers using 'emotional standards' as early as 1939 and the…
Guide for Performing the Objective Scoring System
Dutton's guide demonstrated that all OSS scoring decisions can be derived entirely from direct physical measurement of three Kircher physiological…
Introduction
Polygraph testing was identified as a highly effective disclosure facilitation tool in sex offender treatment, with a minimum 40-hour specialized…
A Field Study of the Integrated Zone Comparison Technique
The IZCT achieved near-perfect accuracy in real-world criminal investigations with zero false positives among truthful examinees and only 1.5 errors…
A comparison of 3- and 7-position scoring scales with field examinations
The 3-position scoring scale demonstrated criterion accuracy significantly greater than chance with no significant differences in test sensitivity to deception…
Polygraph testing and behavioral change with sex offenders in an outpatient setting: an exploratory study
The study provided preliminary field evidence that polygraph testing was associated with behavioral changes and increased compliance among sex offenders…
A Brief Note on the Misleading and the Inaccurate: A Rejoinder to Matte (2000) With Critical Comments on Matte and Reuss (1999)
Matte's assertions that reviewing comparison or relevant questions between chart repetitions produces predictable changes in false positive and false negative…
Post-Conviction Polygraph Testing: Then and Now
Post-conviction sex offender polygraph testing had achieved widespread acceptance across U.S. corrections officers, judges, and therapists by 2000, with all…
Polygraph Validity in the New Millennium
The 7-position scale with +/-6 cutoff achieved highest accuracy with elevated inconclusive rates; accuracy was higher for truthful than deceptive…
Integration of Polygraph Testing with Sexual Offenders in the Colorado Department of Corrections
Colorado DOC successfully implemented a multi-tiered polygraph testing program that demonstrated operational feasibility of using polygraph examinations as both therapeutic…
Can we trust counterintelligence polygraph tests?
Laboratory studies found TES correctly identified 83.3% of guilty and 90.7% of innocent participants; a mathematical model demonstrated that requiring…
The frequency of appearance of evaluative criteria in field polygraph charts
Electrodermal activity accounted for 55% of all reactions, followed by cardiograph (26%) and pneumograph (19%). Criteria frequency ranged from 5…
An exploratory study of traditional and objective scoring systems with MGQT field cases
Human scorers demonstrated better sensitivity to deception while the OSS model outperformed human scorers in specificity to truthfulness, revealing that…
The Discussion of Comparison Questions Between List Repetitions Is Associated with Increased Test Accuracy
Demonstrated that between-chart discussion of comparison questions significantly improved CQT accuracy. This procedural refinement became standard practice in modern CQT…
PolyScore 3.3 and psychophysiological detection of deception examiner rates of accuracy when scoring examinations from actual criminal investigations
PolyScore 3.3 achieved 90.9% accuracy on ZCT examinations but lower accuracy on MGQT examinations, while human PDD examiners achieved 82.3%…
Manually Scoring Polygraph Charts Utilizing the Seven-Position Numerical Analysis Scale at the Department of Defense Polygraph Institute
The documentation identified 22 distinct physiological reaction criteria (12 respiration, 3 electrodermal, 7 cardiovascular) and established hierarchical scoring rules based…
Exclusive or Nonexclusive Comparison Questions: A Comparative Field Study
Israeli field study comparing exclusive vs. non-exclusive comparison question formats. Found both formats produced comparable accuracy rates in real criminal…
The Utah Numerical Scoring System
Formalized the Utah-CQT numerical scoring system resulting from 30+ years of scientific research. Provided standardized procedures achieving highest rates of…
Spontaneous Countermeasures in Naive Subjects During Polygraph Testing
Investigated whether untrained subjects spontaneously employ countermeasure-like behaviors. Found that some naive subjects did make deliberate efforts to alter their…
Numerical evaluation of the Army zone comparison test
The study detailed the Army ZCT seven-position numerical scoring system (-3 to +3) with standardized criteria for evaluating respiration, electrodermal,…
A Comparison of Psychophysiological Detection of Deception Accuracy Rates
The TES format achieved 83.3% guilty detection accuracy compared to 55.6% for CSP-PLC and 58.6% for CSP-DLC formats, representing a…
A Comparison of PDD Accuracy Rates: CISP vs. TES Question Formats
Compared two screening test formats used in US intelligence community. Found both formats achieved significant detection rates, with differences in…
A Test of the Computer Voice Stress Analyzer (CVSA) Theory of Operation
The laboratory simulation established that the CVSA performed electrically according to frequency modulation detection theory and could detect discrete changes…
Biography of Leonarde Keeler
The biography documents Keeler's transformation of the polygraph from experimental apparatus to practical forensic tool, his establishment of the first…
The current status of research in forensic psychophysiology and its application in the psychophysiological detection of deception
The computerization of polygraph represented the most significant technological advance, with research directed toward new sensors, digitized data collection, automated…
Effect of Prior Knowledge and Training on CQT Performance
Examined whether subjects with prior knowledge of polygraph procedures showed different accuracy rates. Found minimal impact of knowledge alone without…
A Study of the Relative Effectiveness of Physiological Data in Field Polygraph Examinations
The lower pneumograph was the most productive respiratory measure overall (51% of cases) and particularly effective for male examinees, while…
Analysis of federal polygraph charts by spot and chart total
Examiners achieved 82.0% overall accuracy in blind chart reviews, with significantly higher accuracy for deceptive cases (89.3%) compared to truthful…
Numerical scoring of polygraph charts: What examiners really do
Examiners achieved 82% overall accuracy (361/440 decisions) in blind chart review, with 72.2% accuracy for truthful cases and 89.3% for…
The History and Accuracy of Guilty Knowledge and Peak of Tension Tests
The review established conceptual clarification by distinguishing peak of tension (POT) tests as specialized variants of guilty knowledge tests (now…
The Directed Lie Control Question
Directed-lie and probable-lie methods showed no significant differences in accuracy across validation studies, while the directed-lie approach offered improved standardization…
The effectiveness of the disclosure test with sex abusers of children
The disclosure polygraph examination produced substantially more self-reported victims and paraphilic behaviors from convicted child sex abusers than were available…
Polygraphy: A new beginning
Abrams argues that polygraph validity is scientifically supportable but contingent on examiner competence and standardized methodology, and identifies sex offender…
Survey of Published Polygraph Literature on Accuracy
Comprehensive survey of published literature reported an overall accuracy level of .89. Built upon Abrams’ earlier (1973) review which found…
The Horizontal Scoring System
The rank-order method showed accuracy rates of 90-93% in subsequent validation studies, though it was limited to single-issue testing situations…
Polygraph Surveillance of Probationers
One of the earliest studies on using polygraph for monitoring probationers. Established the foundational evidence for polygraph as a supervision…
Polygraph Field Validity
Comparison of Relevant/Irrelevant and Modified General Question Technique Structures in a Split Counterintelligence-Suitability Phase Polygraph Examination
The R/I and MGQT techniques differed significantly in the types of examiner decisions rendered and the nature of security-relevant information…
Effects of differing numerical chart evaluation systems on polygraph examination results
The three systems differed substantially in complexity of rules, scale granularity (3-position vs. 7-position scales), comparison question pairing strategies, and…
The detection of physical countermeasures
Polygraph examiners detected only 12% of participants using physical countermeasures, with trained countermeasures proving difficult to detect through either physiological…
Global Evaluation: An Inductive Approach to Case Resolution
Global evaluation, when properly conducted, is a systematic integration of multiple data sources—not subjective impression—and serves to identify possible polygraph…
The polygraph: a psychiatric resource
Lynch argued that the polygraph serves dual functions in psychiatric settings — both as a psychophysiological assessment tool and as…
A polygraphy examination of a sexually molested child
The case study demonstrated the feasibility of conducting a polygraph examination on a child sexual molestation victim and generating physiologically…
The psychological stress evaluator, technical limitations affecting lie detection
The PSE failed to identify deceptive responses beyond chance levels on the guilty knowledge test but did show consistency in…
The Peak of Tension Tests Utilized in the Ashmore Kidnapping
The multi-stage SPOT examination successfully narrowed the search area from general county-level regions to specific map sectors through systematic testing,…
The validity of the polygraph with schizophrenics
The study found that polygraph examinations are generally valid with schizophrenic patients in stable states, but that agitated or acutely…
Survey of Attitudes on the Polygraph
Polygraph examiners demonstrated markedly more positive attitudes toward test validity than external professionals, revealing a significant perception gap between practitioners…
A cardio activity monitor
The CAM successfully demonstrated fingertip-based measurement of cardiovascular activity using strain gauge sensors, though it required electronically enhanced components and…
Implications of laboratory research for the detection of deception
The most important finding was that psychological factors, rather than physiological responses alone, overwhelmingly determine whether deception can be detected.…
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