Illustration copyright Getty Image caption At the first stage of a police investigation, devices help identify suspects

Is it easy to outsmart a polygraph? The reviewer decided to try it.

“The polygraph is not a toy,” Eran Gazit, co-founder of the Institute of Polygraphic Testing, warned me when I called him to ask him to take the test for an article. “It only works if you have a vested interest in the results, if you have something to lose,” work, family, freedom."

Yet I came here to talk with Eran's father, Mordi Gazit, who worked for ten years in the Israeli police polygraph testing service and then opened his own lie detector testing organization in Tel Aviv.

I also came to try to fool the polygraph.

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That's how I ended up in comfortable chair with two straps on the chest, metal devices on the fingers and a pulse blood pressure monitor on the wrist.

The wires from my gear are connected to a box that resembles a cable modem, which immediately sends data to Mordy's laptop.

In many countries, polygraph test results are not accepted as evidence, but authorities have found other uses for them.

The polygraph, often called a lie detector, works on the principle of measuring physiological changes in the human body according to indicators such as respiratory rate, pulse, pressure and galvanic reaction of the skin, which refers to its electrical properties.

Other methods include tracking changes in pupillary response and brain activity using functional MRI.

In the USA and most European countries The results of a polygraph test are not accepted as evidence in a criminal court. However, the authorities found another use for them.

In the UK, the polygraph is used as part of the supervision of released and suspended persons who have committed serious sex crimes, and the results of testing have resulted in dozens of people being returned to prison.

Illustration copyright Getty Image caption In 10-15% of cases, the results of the polygraph test are erroneous

In the United States, candidates for work in the CIA and other government departments take a lie detector test.

Walt Goodson, president of the American Polygraph Association and a 25-year veteran of the Texas State Police, explains the role these devices play in police investigations.

"They are very useful in identifying the main suspects. It is very simple and quick way: based on the results of the test, a decision is made on whether the person should be hired into development or whether other suspects should be looked for."

And providing assistance in attempts to deceive the polygraph, as it turned out, can have serious legal consequences.

Recently former employee Oklahoma City police officer was sentenced to two years in prison for counseling undercover federal agents who told him they wanted to cover up crimes they had committed.

Attempted deception

But can an untrained person like me outsmart a polygraph examiner?

As soon as I met Mordi, I immediately felt as if I was in the company of a representative of government agencies.

It is immediately clear that the 69-year-old polygraph examiner has a wealth of experience. He behaved very professionally, spoke confidently and, looking me straight in the eyes, asked to see my press ID.

Typically, polygraph examiners use a set of significant and insignificant questions when testing.

It suddenly occurred to me that even if I managed to deceive the device, this man would still see through me.

I immediately became worried, as if I could be caught doing something I didn’t do.

Later I learned that this behavior of the tester is also part of the test.

Typically, polygraph examiners use a set of significant ("Did you rob a bank?") and insignificant questions ("Have you ever taken something that belonged to you?") when testing.

Since it is impossible to answer “no” to insignificant questions without lying at least partly, it is assumed that the physiological response to insignificant questions can serve as a base value.

Illustration copyright Getty Image caption One sign that a person is lying is sweating that he cannot control.

The point is to determine a person's bodily reaction to lying in the absence of stress - this helps the polygraph operator determine with more confidence that a person is lying under stress than if the readings of the device were compared with the reaction to obvious questions (for example, "Are you a man?" ").

According to George Maschke, who has run the website antipolygraph.org since 2000, in order to fool a polygraph, you need to recognize the test questions and strengthen your response to them.

It is quite possible to outsmart novice polygraph examiners, but with experienced specialists more difficult

“When asked a test question like ‘Have you ever lied to get out of trouble?’, you can try to solve a complex math problem in your head as quickly as possible.”

“This kind of mental activity usually leads to increased sweating, increased breathing, and so on,” he says. “If your reaction to the control questions is stronger than to the significant ones, you will pass the test.”

As Goodson says, it's quite possible to outsmart novice polygraph examiners, but it's more difficult to outwit experienced ones.

"Change physiological responses human body It’s not difficult; opponents of polygraphic tests have created many sites with which you can learn how to do this. However, they will not help change those physiological reactions that the polygraph examiner perceives as a natural response to a question within the framework of testing,” he warns.

“When the subject tries to change or control the body's normal response, the data is distorted, and a polygraph operator trained to detect such unnatural physiological responses can easily notice this.”

Illustration copyright SPL Image caption Typically, polygraph test results are not accepted as evidence in court.

Some scientists are also concerned that if it malfunctions, the device will generate more false positives. positive results(meaning that innocent people can mistakenly fail the test) than false negatives (meaning that guilty people can mistakenly take the test).

Purity of experience

This phenomenon was mentioned in a report by the British psychological society(2004) on the reliability of polygraph test results.

Goodson warns that some people may fail the test by telling the truth because they are trying too hard to control their bodily reactions.

In approximately 15% of cases, the results of tests based on comparative questions were incorrect

“According to the literature, when truthful people try to change their physiological parameters in the hope that it will help them pass a test, many of them are identified as cheaters,” he says.

Many experts are also concerned that the theory underlying the polygraph itself is erroneous, since the physiological reaction is not necessarily associated with the provision of false information.

According to a 2011 meta-analysis conducted by the American Polygraph Association, test results based on comparative questions were incorrect about 15 percent of the time.

However, the type of test I'm about to take is more reliable and a little more difficult for liars. Since I'm taking a test to write an article, Mordy has come up with a way for me to test the system in practice without any comparative questions.

He asked me to write a number from one to seven on a piece of paper and explained that he would monitor my body’s reaction to attempts to lie about each number, as if I had not written it.

Illustration copyright SPL Image caption The heart rate changes when a person is confronted with difficult task requiring mental effort

This is a simplified version of the culpable knowledge test used in the investigation of known crimes.

The operator provides specific information, both crime-related and non-crime-related, to the possible suspect to test his reaction to the relevant information.

Take, for example, a bank robbery. You can tell the person the stolen amount in a series of other numbers, or show the original ransom note slipped to the teller, along with other notes written by police officers.

Although Maschke argues that this test can also be cheated, according to the British Psychological Society, scientists consider the Guilty Knowledge Test to be theoretically more reliable and less controversial than the comparative question strategy.

According to a 2011 meta-analysis conducted by the American Polygraph Association, the error rate for this type of testing was closer to 10%.

In general, the method is by no means ideal - but it worked for me. I failed miserably.

Below is a graph of my physiological reactions. I wonder if you will be able to discover where I lied?

Illustration copyright Gazit Polygraph Institute

(Legend: Time is indicated on the X-axis. Yellow columns indicate each of the questions, starting with number four, then two, six and so on. Blue lines - respiratory rate. Red line - pressure and pulse. Thin black line - body movements. Thick black line line - galvanic reaction of the skin).

If you look at the thick black line in particular, it's easy to tell that I lied about the number six. And Mordi noticed it too.

Balance is important in everything. Lies can be like driving force development of society, and a factor of its degradation and complete destruction. Deception is condemned, but at the same time everyone understands that lies will not evaporate. Especially difficult situations, controversial issues of crime or family are often resolved with the help of psychologists and special equipment for calculating lies.

A polygraph, or lie detector, records psychophysiological changes (pulse, breathing, brain activity). However, there is no consensus regarding the effectiveness of the polygraph and the ability to deceive the machine, which is what makes this question interesting. Yes, psychologists can use certain signs, but sometimes observation alone is not enough. Is the use of a polygraph justified?

The idea of ​​using a polygraph to detect lies was put forward by Soviet psychologist and neuropsychologist Alexander Romanovich Luria (1926). He also carried out the first studies on the specifics and effectiveness of using the device.

At that time, the polygraph was used only in forensic science. Today, “taking a polygraph” is not the most obscure and incomprehensible phrase; it seems as if it has become a human pastime. IN modern society Lie detector is used everywhere.

A lie detector, or polygraph (which is more correct) is a device that records the physiological indicators of the subject, their dynamics in accordance with the person’s reaction to neutral and tricky questions. The accuracy of the polygraph results is 71%.

A specially untrained person cannot control the autonomic nervous system. The effectiveness of the procedure depends on a number of factors:

• Accuracy of wording of questions and an adequate system of evaluation criteria. Errors of the operator and verifier may include incorrect formulation of questions (lack of personal significance for the subject) and decoding errors.
• Objectivity of data decoding.
• Confidence of the subject in the infallibility of the apparatus. To do this, the operator brings the subject to “condition”. According to the classics of the genre, at the beginning there are always simple questions that require an unambiguous answer. They are duplicated at the end. The middle is questions about the issue for which everyone has gathered. It turns out to be a kind of funnel of questions. An experienced, competent operator during the examination always maintains a state of confidence in the test subject in the accuracy of the test.

Currently, there is no consensus on whether it is possible to fool a polygraph or not, and how accurate its result is, or whether it can be trusted. None of the positions have received scientific confirmation. As a result, there is heated debate surrounding the topic of the polygraph.

Theories about the polygraph

• According to P. Ekman’s theory, a polygraph can be unconditionally trusted if it shows changes not in connection with a person’s emotional response, but differentiates them into fear, anger, sadness and more. So far, detectors cannot do this, which means that you can only trust them very conditionally. More precisely, the fact is that scientists have not yet identified particular ways of responding to the vegetative nervous system to different ones. However, as the author of the theory himself notes, if this is investigated and established, then there will be no need for a detector as such. For man himself, with the help of hearing and observation, will be able to detect these changes.
• L. Seix's theory states that the polygraph is an ineffective way to detect lies. The author claims that at the moment of undergoing the procedure, a person always experiences excitement, excitement and fear from the very fact of such a diagnosis. If a person is able to skillfully regulate his emotions, then it will not be difficult for him to deceive the polygraph, because it is emotions, and not lies, that the machine records.

Procedure technology

A number of sensors are attached to the subject:

• electrodes on the fingers record sweating;
• belts on the chest and stomach - breathing and heartbeat;
• A device for measuring pressure is fixed on the forearm.

The result of the diagnosis is a tape graphically reflecting a person’s impulses. Impulses mean changes in its vegetative parameters. A person is recognized as a liar if his reactions to control questions are higher than to the neutral statements of the verifier.

In my opinion, these are very dubious criteria. Will you be calm while sitting on a polygraph that decides whether you are guilty of a murder (which you did not commit)? I think no. And the machine will probably record this excitement, resulting in a “guilty” verdict.

Scientific facts about diagnostic reliability

Paul Ekman in his work “The Psychology of Lying. Fool Me If You Can” examines in detail the features of using a polygraph and provides a number of scientifically proven facts:

• The polygraph catches liars more often than it misses them.
• But at the same time, he sometimes makes mistakes.
• The specificity of errors depends on the experimental conditions, evaluation techniques and verifiers. More precisely, field research.

You can read more about the nuances of each type of research in the author's original source. There are also examples and areas of use of the polygraph.

Is it possible to fool a polygraph? Yes. To do this you need to be calm. A person tied to an examination chair may be calm if:

• confident in his rightness and innocence;
• is not in a state of excitement, irritation, anger, resentment, jealousy or other emotion for a reason not related to lying;
• I am confident that the detector cannot detect a lie.

What role does temperament play?

As is known, these are innate properties of the psyche; accordingly, it is he who is primarily responsible for a person’s vegetative reactions. From which I assume that some temperaments are more prone to lying, or rather to successful control of their autonomic system.

I think this is characteristic of a stable psyche with good braking reactions. Obviously, this description fits:

• sanguine,
• phlegmatic person.

These are two balanced and strong types of nervous systems, but the first has more flexible reactions. A sanguine person can lie skillfully, but I think he will have problems passing a polygraph. But a phlegmatic person who is slow-moving and poor in emotions may well not succumb to the operator’s provocations.

I would like to note that these are just my theoretical assumptions and logical conclusions. But I am sure that temperament makes a significant contribution to the possibility/impossibility of deceiving a polygraph.

Afterword

Thus, a unified scheme for detecting lies or an apparatus that can detect lies with 100% accuracy has not yet been invented. This means that you can fool a polygraph.

But I think it's for the better. Without lies there would be no society. No matter how much each of us crucifies that lying is bad, and strives to catch the deceiver, if it comes to our own lies, then everyone would want to remain unnoticed. Like every innocent person, he was afraid to give his fate to the power of the machine.

I think you can also admit that without lies there can be no relationship. Ethics, business conversation- a complete deception. Imagine for a second what chaos would reign if you told everything only the truth. Or how many “insensitive egoists” would suddenly disperse around. Would you yourself subscribe to “I tell the truth and only the truth, to everyone and always”?

Today it has become very popular to test people for honesty using a lie detector. Machines are often used for personnel selection in financial and government agencies. Everyone has their own secrets and secrets and not everyone wants to share them with someone else. But is it possible to fool a polygraph? to an ordinary person you will find out from the article.

What is a polygraph

A polygraph is a device that allows you to read the necessary information due to the physiological characteristics of the human body.

The machine is often used against officials, private individuals, famous people, ordinary employees and in many other areas of activity. Taking the test has become especially popular as a personnel check, which allows you to weed out unscrupulous employees at the interview stage.

Facts about the polygraph

The machine was invented by the man who invented the pressure apparatus, and that in itself interesting fact. But besides this:

1. The first machines made a verdict based on several indicators.
2. Today, devices take into account more than 50 characteristics (pressure, level of sweating, changes in voice timbre and many subconscious reactions).
3. Polygraph examiners do not classify the machine as a lie detector, since the device focuses on changes in the behavior and state of the human body during the test.
4. Scientists are against the use of a polygraph because they consider the results obtained based on its use unreliable.

Exists a large number of information on how to fool a polygraph. And even reviews from people who were tested only confirm this information.

Who manages to deceive the machine?

With responsible preparation for the test, anyone can try to fool the polygraph. But there are categories of people who, without special effort will mislead the machines:

1. Spies and scouts. Moreover, it is customary for specialists to be trained for such a procedure over a long period of time.
2. Actors. The ability to “get used to” a role helps actors deceive the apparatus without much effort.
3. Children. The imagination of children is so developed that they tend to invent the unreal and believe in it.
4. Old people who are in the stage of insanity.
5. People who are so used to lying that they no longer notice what is true or false.
6. Sociopaths. The non-standard reaction of this category of people puts the device into a “stupor”.

Psychologist-printers themselves do not hide the fact that it is quite possible for a person who is not included in the category of the above-mentioned persons to master tricks that affect the operation of a machine based on methods on how to deceive a polygraph.

Ways to fool a lie detector

Concerned citizens have come up with a large number of methods to deceive the lie-checking machine.

Common ways to fool a polygraph:

1. Use of sedatives. Even the most unpleasant questions can cause an indifferent and calm reaction in the subject.
2. Alcohol abuse or drug use dulls sensitivity. This is not the most the best option, since it is likely that in this state they will simply not be allowed to take the test.
3. Stay awake for about 24 hours before testing. Due to fatigue, the reaction will be weak, and it is extremely difficult to provoke a person in such a state to emotions.
4. Treat your fingertips with a product that can eliminate sweating.
5. By resisting all the questions the specialist asks, you can also mislead the machine.

The essence of the result lies solely in your reaction when answering the questions. When you are in a peaceful state, you do not react. And if it matches the control question, then the polygraph accepts the answer as the truth.

Is it possible to refuse testing?

Modern companies began to quite often resort to the services of a polygraph in relation to employees. Even knowing all the nuances and features of the process of how people deceive a polygraph, managers of large-scale enterprises do not “sweep aside” this option for testing business integrity. In addition, the device is often used to solve personal problems.

There is no law that obliges you to go through the “lie machine”. Any citizen can refuse this procedure. But one can quite imagine how the applicant will react to the refusal. Often those who really have something to hide refuse to undergo testing on such a device. But the decision still remains with the subject.

Reasons for canceling a polygraph test

It is not advisable for persons with mental or mental problems to undergo the apparatus. general condition health, as well as people under emotional stress.

Reasons for canceling the test may include:

• mental problems;
• physical exhaustion;
• pregnancy;
• asthma;
• risk of heart attack or stroke (this applies to people with heart problems);
• hangover syndrome;
• addiction (alcohol, drugs, antidepressants);
• chronic diseases in the acute stage;
• ARVI with cough and runny nose;
• respiratory diseases;
• frequent attacks of malaise or fatigue.

According to the above list, the specialist may refuse to take the test for the subject or postpone the test to another day.

An effective way to deceive, according to polygraph examiners

Psychological self-control is the method by which it is most often possible to fool a polygraph. The method is used by most intelligence agencies and spies in the world. Moreover, intelligence agents undergo lengthy training that allows them to learn the ability to control their own consciousness.

The easiest way to control yourself is for practicing yogis, martial artists and people who regularly meditate. They are less susceptible to stress and, accordingly, can remain calm under almost any circumstances.

Is it possible for an ordinary person to fool a polygraph if he is in a state of inner harmony? Yes, studies have been conducted where a group of individuals underwent preparatory training. As a result, it turned out that after training the result was 90% better than at the beginning of the tests.

It's easy to take a test whose results are in your best interest. Just follow the tips below:

1. Familiarize yourself with the principles of the polygraph.
2. Think in advance about the questions that the specialist will most likely ask you.
3. If possible, you should take several practice tests before the main one.
4. Do not react friendly to the specialist and remain indifferent to what is happening.
5. When answering a security question, do some complex calculations in your head. Then the questions that concern you will not be revealed emotional stress on the monitor. Or avoid a direct answer altogether, giving a relative option.
6. Keep your breathing even. Avoid sighs and gasps.

At the conclusion of the test related to how you can deceive a polygraph, you must remain in a state of calm. Polygraph examiners often monitor this process, so you should be on your guard.

According to statistics, the polygraph is wrong 30 out of 100%. This means that it is possible to mislead the machine; the main thing is to find a method that will work for you.

Despite the huge amount of information on how to deceive a polygraph, any person will have to spend a lot of time on special training to carry out such an action. But if you are interested in it or your future depends on it professionally or personally, then it may well be worth it.

D lie detector, which people of the older generation knew about only from films and books about criminals, spies and intelligence officers, in last years is gaining more and more popularity. The spheres of its distribution are expanding: large and medium business, banking, insurance, detective work, litigation and much more. In this regard, the question arises: is the lie detector really infallible in its work? How to fool a polygraph?

It is easy to deceive the eye, but it is difficult to deceive the heart.
Al Pacino

Operating principle (in brief)

Let's start with the fact that a lie detector, although very complex, is a machine, that is, it works according to a certain algorithm, and a person is a living organism. And any living system is much more complex than the most perfect mechanism. Since a person, when giving answers during a lie detector examination, if he is lying, commits violence against himself, this leads to a change in the physiological reactions of the body (increased heart rate, production of adrenaline, etc.), to which the device reacts. That is, if you learn to control yourself and your reactions, you can try to fool the lie detector ( specific example described from life).

Methods of deception

Today there are several ways to deceive a lie detector. Some of them depend on preliminary vocational training test taker.

We are training

For example, employees or former employees intelligence agencies who are well familiar with the principles of the polygraph or have repeatedly used it in practice will be able to fool the lie detector. In addition, during their professional training, they undergo a special course on countering polygraph testing, because their work involves the need to maintain professional secrets.

Systematic training brings their reactions to the level of unconscious automatism.

Acting

If a person is a professional actor, well acquainted with the technique of implanting himself in the image of another person, absolute transformation, up to complete identification with him, including physiological reactions, he will also be able to deceive the polygraph. After all, the main thing is to convince yourself of the truthfulness of your lies, since the lie detector evaluates reactions, and not the actual truthfulness of the answers.

Drugs

In addition, there is a so-called pharmacological way to fool a polygraph. This is the use of specially selected sedatives, medications that affect blood pressure, and alcohol.

The point is to prevent the polygraph from assessing your true reactions to the questions asked and to increase the number of errors. By the way, after a hangover or lack of sleep for several days, the body’s reactions will also affect the level of objectivity of the polygraph.

Let's use our brains

If you gesticulate excessively, shake your head, or strain your diaphragm or muscles during a lie detector test abdominal cavity, answers can also be falsified. You can, on the contrary, resort to psychological tricks: form a parallel focus of attention, concentrate on mental activity not related to the questions asked, for example, remembering the multiplication table.

Secret way

If the above options for deceiving the polygraph do not work out, you can even resort to the so-called chemical method deception. Since the sensors that record the electrical conductivity of the skin are worn on the fingers, their tips can be treated with agents that block the sweat glands. This can be alcohol or salicylic-zinc ointment, sold in any pharmacy. The main thing is that the polygraph examiner does not notice traces of processing, and then the main channel for obtaining information by the detector will be blocked.

Darina Kataeva

Even the first thoughts about taking a lie detector or polygraph test cause unpleasant feelings, thoughts and emotions in people. And terrible excitement appears. It is noteworthy that such Innocent people also experience anxiety. How to pass a polygraph test correctly and what you need to know about the features of passing it? How does a lie detector work and what does it react to? How can you fool a polygraph and not get burned?

Lie detector: principle of operation

Nature is multifaceted and complex, which is why psychologists, developers and scientists are constantly striving to find the best way to identify any kind of untruth. The presence of such a device would significantly improve people's lives: criminals would always receive punishment, and innocent people would be free. Back in the Middle Ages, China had a way to check for lies. The guilty person was given dry rice to chew before being sentenced. It was believed that when a person was very nervous, his mouth was dry, so he could not swallow rice. If this happened, the blame was clear.

Over time, testing methods changed, people began to use modern technical innovations, and this progress contributed to the emergence of the first polygraph. Its inventor is considered William Marston, who in 1913 began to actively research the psychology of human lies.

A polygraph is a device that is based on the results of measuring body parameters at the time of the test. Graphs and diagrams are examined and then the result is recorded.

The first polygraph worked and produced results based primarily on the subject's blood pressure. However, this device did not show entirely accurate results. Nevertheless, Marston's achievement contributed to the emergence of a new polygraph in 1921. Its developer was J. Larston. This polygraph is similar to the modern one, since its results were based on measuring a person’s respiration, pulse and blood pressure. The amazing accuracy of the results marked the widespread use of the polygraph, especially in the field of criminal offenses.

Although the Chinese technique of “chewing rice” is now considered funny, in fact, modern polygraphs are similar in principle to it. The device reacts and produces results based on measuring the state of the body at the time of telling a lie.

How is a lie detector test usually performed?

If a person knows nothing about a lie detector, what it is and how the test is taken, he nervous from the very uncertainty. The test usually takes place in calm atmosphere in an office where nothing would distract the subject from answering the questions posed. The room is soundproofed, the experimenter is located behind so as not to distract the person with his actions and movements. You are allowed to answer questions with only two words: "Yes" or "No", no other options are given. Despite the apparent simplicity of the test, this procedure makes almost everyone worry - especially those who deliberately deceive the polygraph.

A typical test takes place in 4 stages:

Stage 1: preparation

The experimenter tells the subject about the rules for passing the test. This allows him to make sure that no incidents will occur and the person will not start doing actions prohibited during the test. All questions that will be asked are discussed, the polygraph is set up and the person is convinced that it works accurately and without any failures.

Stage 2: stimulus test

Each experimenter uses his own techniques to encourage the subject to tell the truth. Some people hang their office with diplomas, certificates and other documents that indicate the accuracy of the procedure itself.

Others conduct a mini-test with card game. From the deck, a person is given the opportunity to choose one card and then return it to its place. The polygraph examiner then shows the cards of the deck one by one and you must answer “No” to each one, even to the correct card. The results are then assessed, and the test taker draws from the deck the card that the person lied on when it appeared. The test results are simply amazing; the person being tested begins to believe that he will be caught in a lie, and the person tests himself.

However, when conducting this test, it is important for the experimenter himself not to make mistakes, so he often marks the correct cards or uses specially designed decks.

Stage 3: question and answer

This stage is considered indicative. A person is asked prepared questions, which are divided into 3 types:

Neutral. These questions are basic: “Do you live in ...?” or “Your name is...?” In the process of data processing, the answers to them do not play a key role, but the experimenter draws conclusions about how focused and attentive the person is to what is being asked.
Significant. These questions are direct, and they primarily relate to the topic of research. If it is a theft, then the specialist asks: “Did you take this?” or “Did you participate in the theft?” It is believed that the perpetrator’s physiological reactions to such questions increase, his pulse quickens and his blood pressure rises, although this is completely invisible to the person himself. The innocent person’s reaction does not change; he speaks confidently, evenly and clearly.
Tests. This type of question is carefully thought out so that, however, it does not directly point to the crime itself. The questions are of a general nature. Here both the guilty and the innocent are confused, but the second category is trying to get out and lie even in this area. The tricky thing about these questions is that a negative answer to them is already a lie. For example: “During the first 15 years of your life, did you take something that didn’t belong to you?” Of course, a process immediately occurs in the person being tested in the brain that prompts him to say: “No,” although all people took something else in the first 15 years of their lives. This psychological maneuver allows you to achieve high results during the test.

Stage 4: final

Here the results are calculated and the polygraph diagrams are interpreted. Some people consider it necessary to tell the person about the test results.

Knowledge about the organization of the process can only influence inner peace person during the procedure, but not on its result

Is it possible to fool a lie detector?

Just as there is an art to detecting lies and deception, so even innocent people try to understand how the polygraph works in order to break the prejudice about its truth and truthfulness. But can a person fool a polygraph? Is it possible?

According to polygraph examiners, It is impossible to deceive this device. They are based on the following facts:

The polygraph evaluates everyone physiological processes human body simultaneously, while for the person being tested these parameters occur unnoticed, because they are involved conditioned reflexes body. We cannot control blood flow in the capillaries or pressure. A person can only restrain himself in emotions and work on anxiety, but change internal processes beyond the power of even the most experienced deceiver.
Duration of the procedure. The test is divided into 4 stages, each of which is quite long. If at first a person is able to control himself, at the end, when the specialist begins to deal with the most important control and significant issues, the person being tested loses his vigilance and relaxes.
Not only the polygraph itself plays an important role. The specialist who conducts the study pays attention to facial expressions, gestures, tension and general behavior of the person being tested. And even if he manages to deceive the “machine,” he will not be able to outwit a skilled psychologist!
Before the test itself, a person undergoes numerous checks for the presence of sedatives or other drugs in the body. During the preparatory tests, the experimenter even determines the psychotype and.
During the test sensors are used, who have proven themselves well even in the intelligence services. For example, a device for measuring electrical resistance skin.
When conducting and preparing tests, we use human anatomy and biology data. When we worry, blood pressure increases and blood flows in the capillaries. The sensors immediately display this on monitors.
Reviews from people. Numerous stories “How I tried to deceive the lie detector” begin quite convincingly, but their end is the same: “Where could I have screwed up?..”. Only mentally ill people can lie, however, this category of citizens is not allowed to take a polygraph test.

Can an actor fool a polygraph?

No matter how experienced an actor is, he remains a person with his own core personality. He still analyzes, draws conclusions, thinks about situations, so that if his vigilance is relaxed, an experienced polygraph examiner will detect the lies of the person being tested. Of course, it is possible to deceive a novice specialist, but when conducting serious investigations and criminal examinations, only professionals work.

In the process of passing the test, a battle begins between two talents, two psychologically prepared and developed personalities. But no matter how talented the actor is, he will lose in this unequal struggle. Only the polygraph examiner himself can fool the lie detector.

Is it possible to fail a test due to anxiety? Excitement is a starting point that is taken as the state of the norm, and from there the results are recorded. Therefore, even because of worries, it will not be possible to deceive the lie detector.

How to prepare for a lie detector test and pass it

Even innocent people begin to get very worried before the test, which is why they disrupt the planned procedure with panic attacks. Therefore you it is worth preparing for this procedure, even if you are not to blame for anything.

Understand polygraph work. If you know this information, it will be easier for you to prepare to pass the test.
Try not to think about the test at all. Avoid horror stories about his work. If you are not guilty, you have nothing to fear, since the lie detector shows the pure truth.
Take care of yours physical condition one day before the test. Relax, get some sleep, create around you comfortable conditions and think positive.
If you are taking any medications, be sure to tell an expert about this. Illness or regular pain medications may prevent the test from being performed correctly and accurately.
Research and understand the questions you will be asked. Don't rush anywhere, the test will last at least 3 hours, so it will not be possible to shorten the time!
Tell the truth. When test questions becomes the most difficult, so prepare yourself for them and answer sincerely.

Don't be afraid to be nervous. When taking a lie detector test, everyone gets nervous, so this condition is considered normal.

Conclusion

A modern lie detector (polygraph) is a high-tech precision instrument, aimed at documenting the state of the human body when answering questions of varying complexity and essence. The rather long procedure consists of alternating questions from the examiner and answers from the person being tested using a polygraph. At the end of the test, the results obtained are interpreted.

Is it possible to fool a lie detector? Professional polygraph examiners claim that this is impossible - a person is not able to control body temperature for a long time, arterial pressure, heart rates, sweating, etc.

March 31, 2014