Making the right choice – How do I know if my polygraph examiner is any good?

So you have made the tough decision and decided that you need the services of a polygraph examiner. In most instances the next step will be to punch in Polygraph / Lie Detector testing on Google, get three quotes and go with the cheapest option.

Clients are not present during the examination process – so how do you know if the polygraph tests were conducted properly. Here are a few things to take into consideration.

Accreditation

Make sure the examiner was trained at an American Polygraph Association (APA)  accredited  school. For a complete list of accredited schools.

Ethical Standards

Does he abide by the ethical standards as set out by the APA in its constitution.  The two most important things that you can monitor in this regard is how long does a test take (a proper polygraph  test should take approximately 75 – 90 minutes) ; and how many examinations is the examiner willing to conduct in a day (APA by-laws limit the number of polygraph tests conducted in one day to 5 examinations). If an examiner is doing 7 or 8 30 minute tests in a day, then he is not doing his job properly.

Requirements

A proper polygraph examination MUST contain the following elements :

• The examiner must ensure that the examinee is suitable both medically and psychologically,  to undergo the polygraph test.
• The examinee must be made aware of his legal rights related to polygraph testing and give written permission to conduct the test.
• The fundamental principles of Psychophysiological detection of deception and the operation of the polygraph instrument must be explained to the examinee.
• A Pre Test Interview should be conducted where information about the incident is gathered and the examinee is given an opportunity to present his recollection of events related to the matter under investigation.
• All questions to be asked during the Polygraph examination must be reviewed prior to the examination and phrased in such a manner that the examinee fully understands the content and meaning of each question.
• Prior to the Physiological data being collected an acquaintance test should be conducted to familiarise the examinee with the test process.

The conclusions drawn from the outcome of a polygraph investigation can have far reaching consequences for all parties concerned , and it is therefore of the utmost importance that every effort is made to ensure the fairness and accuracy of the result.