Polygraph customers:
If your chosen examiner has only an
old antique analog polygraph, RUN!
(Antique on left, computerized on right.
They have the same 4 connections to the human body,
but that's where the similarity ends!)
Buyer beware -
INSIST on a computerized polygraph -
here's what you need to know!
--From the 1950s to the 1980s,
polygraph examiners used the old-fashioned polygraph instruments,
known as 'analog' polygraphs or 'analog' instruments,
which were nothing but a roll of chart paper and 4 moving pens.
Slowly hand-scored, they were said to be about 80% accurate
(better than a 'coin flip', but not good enough
to risk a relationship or other serious issue on!).
Many guilty persons falsely passed exams using these;
many innocent persons falsely failed exams using these.
--Each test back then produced more than 20 feet of paper of 4 wiggly lines,
the examiner handwriting notes non-stop on the moving chart until done,
then approximately 120 small body-reaction changes
to each be hand-measured and added up by the examiner.
--In the early 1990s, about 20 years ago,
computerized polygraph instruments arrived.
No more ink or paper problems, more sensitive,
no more time wasted on non-stop adjustments needed,
far quicker to complete an exam so less stressful for examinee,
now self-scoring, and proven to be about 98% accurate!
The old antique 'analogs' were dumped by professional
polygraph examiners as they were now obsolete-- 20 years ago!
Our Federal government polygraph academy changed to computerized in the mid 90s;
all police and sheriff polygraph units use computerized polygraph instruments;
to use an old antique analog now is almost criminally negligent.
--Today, almost no real examiner uses an old antique,
but there are a few part-timers that will use them instead of the proper equipment,
hoping that the untrained public might not know the difference. Don't be fooled!
The following are 4 secret details that the part-timers who can only afford
the old antique analog polygraph instruments DON'T want you to know:
(it is $200 to buy a used analog polygraph on eBay, since virtually all professionals of
the past 20 years have dumped them and instead use $5000 computer polygraphs)
---1. On the antique analogs, the examiner has to assign this following
hand-measured point system to every body response on a chart,
40 responses on every chart of a 3-chart exam, so up to 120 slow hand-scorings total:
+1, +2, +3, or -1, -2, -3.
This rigid scoring above is why there are so many worthless final
scores of 'Inconclusive' when sneakily using the antique polygraphs.
(a score of Inconclusive Score from an antique analog =
"maybe lie, maybe truth, can't decide, too bad for the customer, but no refund, sorry"!)
---2. Computerized models score body responses far more exacting,
assigning fractional & more-exacting scoring points such as '0.8', '1.7' or '2.4'
to each of those 120 body response reactions to questions,
instead of the nearly worthless rigid analog 1, 2, 3 scoring.
Those fractional differences are very very critical when added up using
a final scoring system such as the 'Fail -7 to +7 Pass Score' used by both types of polygraph,
and quite often then makes a different pass or fail score than using only rounded-numbers .
---3. Plus, the computer is 'blind'.
When the computer does the scoring, there can be no personal bias or
'helps' such as being too easy or too hard, and also: nothing can be missed by the computer.
The bottom line: if an examiner can not afford modern equipment,
not wanting to invest in the equipment best for his/her clients,
that is a sign that you should call the next examiner.
---4. OUCH- Although the old antique polygraph instruments make up less than 10%
of the instruments in use by today's examiners, they make up more than 50%
of the complaints by customers who swear that the results of a test were wrong.
You DON'T want this to happen with your test; you want to be confident in the results.
Quietly laugh inside when you hear a part-timer try to con you or trick you into believing
that their antique is as accurate as a modern computerized polygraph instrument!
Listen to them fumble when confronted with the scientific points above.
When you catch them making that lie, they have lost their credibility in your eyes.
OOPS: they themselves have read this warning now too
(we have visitor tracking software on this website!) -
so they will have a prepared, but desperately lame, answer ready for you!
Avoid the clowns.Avoid the phonies.
INSIST on a modern computerized polygraph!
If they are taking 'shortcuts' in what equipment to use,
shortcuts are likely in their updated training too.
It costs no more to be tested on modern equipment,
almost all examiners do use the modern computerized polygraph instrument,
so why even bother with a less-accurate test done on an obsolete piece of 1950's technology?!
Some will even pay for a pretty 'high-tech' website to somehow give you the
illusion that they themselves are 'high-tech', desperately hoping you havent read this!
If you are going to base a relationship decision on the results of a polygraph,
take the time to verify that only modern equipment will be used.
DON'T BE FOOLED!
You have choices:
RUN if an examiner does not have modern
computerized polygraph equipment!
Some were forced to upgrade:
Even worse, 2 examiners refused for years to honor modern science by sticking with their antiques--
until their own polygraph association in 1/2012 made RULES that forced them to use modern equipment!
So, now they are forced to use computerized polygraph equipment--
so they are now essentially 'new' examiners again, learning the equipment all over, with little experience with it.
One even got kicked out of a TV show filming for not knowing how to properly use a new computerized instument!