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If you have issues viewing or accessing this file contact us at NCJRS.gov. r I National Criminal Justice Reference Service l----------------~~---------------------------------------------------------- I: nCJrs This microfiche was produced from documents received for inclusion in the NCJRS data base. Since NCJRS cannot exercise control over the physical condition of the documents submitted, the individual frame quality will vary. The resolution chart on this frame may be used to evaluate the document quality. 1.0 .0 1 1 11111 . 'I i -:0 111111.25 111111.4 111111.6 , fI. i' MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART U.s. OGpartment of Jutrtlce I MaUontl !Mtltutll 01 Ju&tice NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS-1963-A I ThIs document has boon reproduced exactly as roostved from the ~ or OI'ganizatlOO OOglNltJl'l!J it. Points of view 01' opinions stated in thiS document oro thoSG of Iho authors and do not nocessC'lril> reprooGot tho QlIicial pos!tJon 01' poUcios of the National Institute 01 Justioo. Permlsslon to reproduoo this ~ malerial has been gmnlodby It, Microfilming procedures used to create this fiche comply with Public Danain/United States CQngress the standards set forth in 41CFR 101-11.504. Office of Technology Assessment lathe NBlional Crlmlnol JustIeD Reference Servlee (NCJRS). Points of view or opinions stated in this document are Fw1h01' rcpfOduetloo cutGIda of tho NC.lRS $)'tIlem requires pormls. those of the author(s) and do not represent the official !':lIon of tho COft'lfllh O'Mlor. position or policies of the U. S. Department of Justice. a'. \ I J I National Institute of Justice ,f United States Department of Justice t Washington, D. C. 20531 , il\ '1 ( 6/1/84 4. ; 4 Q2E ·0 o SCIENTIFIC~-. ... VALIDITY OF POLYGRAPH TESTING I A RESEARCH REVIEW AND EVALUATION A TECHNICAL rv1EMORANDUM NOVEMBER 1983 Technical Memoranda are issued by OTA on specific subjects analyzed in recent OTA reports or on projects presently in process at OTA. They are issued at the request of Members of Congress who are engaged in committee legislative actions which are ~. :c· ·~c- "1~(';,:"~: ~_ expected to be resolved before OTA completes its assessment. :. .'. ". - -----~---~~ r->r-~~ ....""'- ....- ...... ~- ......,~...----~~- ~- -~ -- - -------------.-----~-~~ - -~ - - -----~ ---- ----~. --------- Foreword This technical memorandum presents the results of the Office of Technology Assess ment's (OTA) review and assessment of the scientific evidence on the validity of polygraph testing. Conducted at the request of Rep. Jack Brooks, Chairman, House Committee on Government Operations, and Rep. Frank Horton, the Ranking Minority Member, the OTA memorandum is intended to assist the committee in its deliberations on pro posed changes in polygraph use by the Federal Government. As requested, OTA has limited this technical memorandum to issues directly related to the scientific validity of the polygraph. OTA did not consider utility, privacy, con stitutional, and ethical issues, among others that have been raised in the debate over polygraph testing. We first discuss the various types of polygraph testing procedures and ways in which the polygraph is used, and then summarize the judicial, legislative, and scientific con troversy over polygraph testing validity. Next, we review and evaluate both prior reviews of the scientific research on polygraph validity and the individual research studies. Finally, we discuss the range of factors that may affect polygraph validity and the possibilities for future research, and present OTA's conclusions about the scientific evidence for cur rent and proposed Federal Government polygraph use. In preparing this memorandum, OTA has drawn on research information available from a wide variety of sources, including the major Federal Government polygraph users, the American Polygraph Association, various private polygraph practitioners, and polygraph researchers both in the United States, and abroad. Recommended Citation: Scientific Validity of Polygraph Testing: A Research Review and Evaluation-A Techni In addition to the members of the project advisory panel, this memorandum benefited cal Memorandum (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, from the consultation and review of a large number of persons in the Federal Govern OTA-TM-H-15, November 1983). ment, universities, and the polygraph community. It is, however, solely the respon sibility of OTA, not those who advised and assisted us in its preparation. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 83-600618 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 Polygraph Validity Advisory Panel OTA Polygraph Validity Project Staff Edward S. Katkin, Chairman Professor of Psychology, State University of New York at Buffalo John H. Gibbons, Acting Assistant Director, OTA Joseph P. Buckley Steve Pruitt Health and LiFe Sciences Division * President Director of Congressional Affairs John E. Reid & Associates Public Employees Department, AFL-CIO Clyde Behney, Health Program Manager Robert Edelberg Christopher H. Pyle Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology Associate Professor of Politics Fred B. Wood, Project Director UMDNJ-Rutgers Medical School Mt. Holyoke College (Communication and InFormation Technologies Program (CIT)) David C. Raskin Frank Horvath Professor of Psychology Leonard Saxe, Principal Investigator and Author (Boston University)** Associate Professor University of Utah Denise Dougherty, Co-author and Analyst (Health)f School of Criminal Justice Michigan State University Harold Sigall Theodore Cross, Co-author (Boston University)tt Professor of Psychology Jack Langenbrunner, Analyst (Health) David T. Lykken University of :Maryland Profesor of Psychiatry and Psychology George B. Trubow Katherine Locke, Research Assistant (Health) University of Minnesota Medical School Professor of Information Law and Policy Administrative Support Gail J. Povar The John Marshall Law School Ginny Cwalina, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Althea M. 1. Wagman Administrative Assistant (Health) Health Care Sciences Research Associate of Psychiatry Elizabeth Emanuel, Administrative Assistant (CIT) The George Washington University Medical Maryland Psychiatric Research Center Jennifer Nelson, Secretary (Health) Center University of Maryland School of Medicine Shirley Gayheart, Secretary (CIT) Other Contributors Michael Saks, Boston College Daniel Ozer, Boston University Yo ram Bar-Tal, Boston University Mary Beasley, Boston U{liversity Marie Calabrese, Boston University Molly Zane, Boston University OT A Publishing Staff John C. Holmes, Publishing Officer John Bergling Kathie S. Boss Debra M. Datcher Joe Henson Glenda Lawing Linda A. Leahy Cheryl J. Manning 'Since September 1983; H. David Banta served as Assistant Director until August 1983. "Assistant Professor of Psychology, Boston University. tOTA Analyst since September 1983; Boston University Graduate Research Assistant until August 1983. ttGraduate Research Assistant, Boston University, iv v """t .' • ------- --------.--------~ ---- ~----~------- .. \ \ I Acknowledgments Contents OT A acknowledges the contribution of the following agencies and individuals that provided information, Chapter Page advice, and/or substantive reviews of draft materials: 1. SUMMARY Introduction .......................... 3 4. REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF POLYGRAPH Federal Government Agencies Fitz Godwin, Army Federal Polygraph Use ................. 3 FIELD STUDIES.. ................ ... 47 Lewis R. Goldberg, University of Oregon Federal Polygraph Policy Changes ...... 3 Introduction. .. 47 Department of Defense (Office of Deputy Under Gisli Gudjonson, London Institute of Psychiatry Secretary of Defense for Policy, Army, Air Force, Polygraph Validity .................... 4 Study Selection. .. 47 David 1. Hammond, Psychologist Findings .... , ........................ 4 Studies Excluded .................... 48 Navy, Marines, National Security Agency) James E. Hardy, Air Force Office of Special Department of Justice (Federal Bureau of Investigation, Personnel Security Screening ......... 4 Studies Included. .. 49 Investigations Criminal Investigations .............. 5 Coding... ............... ......... .... 51 Drug Enforcement Administration) Fred Hegge, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Department of State False Negatives/Countermeasures ..... 5 Findings and Discussion ................ 51 Eric J. Holden, Baker, Holden & Associates Department of the Treasury (Secret Service, Bureau False Positives ..................... 5 Variation Among Studies. .. 52 Charles Robert Honts, University of Utah Voluntary v. Involuntary ............ 6 Studies Using Panel Criterion of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) William G. Iacono, University of British Columbia Postal Service Polygraph Theory .................. 6 and Examiners' Decisions .......... 52 Michel Pierre Janisse, University of Manitoba Office of Personnel Management Further Research ....... , ........... 6 Studies Using Confession as a Criterion Richard C. Johnson, Polygraph, Inc. Chapter-by-Chapter Overview .......... 6 and Blind Evaluations ............. 54 Central Intelligence Agency Scott Kingsley, National Security Agency Director of Central Intelligence (Security Committee) Conclusions .......................... 7 Studies Using Judicial Outcomes Benjamin Kleinmuntz, University of lllinois at Chicago and Original Examiners' Results .... 56 Circle 2. VARIETIES OF POLYGRAPH TESTING Other Considerations .................. 56 Individuals Brian