"All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them." Galileo Galilei (1564 - 1642)
The Polygraph Exam
A polygraph examination (or lie detector test) measures changes in physical signs that are caused by a person who answers a direct question untruthfully.
Certified polygraph examiners conduct tests to determine the truthfulness of answers given to questions regarding drug use, marital fidelity, criminal activity and a variety of other subjects. The Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988 allows examinations to be used as a pre-employment screening tool in some occupations.
A privately arranged
polygraph examination begins with
an appointment, sometimes made through an attorney. The Examiner will probably ask
the attorney to furnish 
whatever
reports are available, and he will review those before the client arrives for
his or her examination. The client's time with the Examiner is usually about 2-3
hours, although additional time may be needed, and re-tests from inconclusive
results are occasionally necessary. The process starts with an in-depth
interview of the examinee so that the Polygraph Examiner can formulate the best
questions possible.
All questions are discussed with the client before the start of the examination. There are no surprises. Most examiners, police and private, follow the same test procedures. Favorable results with a private examiner often do not require a retest with a police examiner. Instead, a review of the charts and questions may be sufficient.
We use state-of-the-art computerized instruments that provide immediate software analysis of the charts. In addition, the examiner professionally evaluates and manually scores each chart using the Horizontal Scoring System. The charts themselves are similar to those produced on paper by older instruments. For this reason, either kind of instrument functions primarily as a recording device, creating a record of physiological changes occurring in someone while he or she is answering test questions.
Serving New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.
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Copyright © 2008Tri-State Polygraph