Are Lie Detectors Reliable

Are Lie Detectors Reliable

Abstract

Lie detectors though not admissible in court in most states in the United States, has been an integral part of interrogation. However, lie detection can be traced back to the early societies where torture, trial by ordeal and even an ostrich egg were used on criminal proceedings. While the modern lie detector has advanced to a point where it can now be handheld and easily portable from place to place as evident of US troops in Afghanistan using hand held polygraphs to aid them in security issues, there is another viable option which has proven itself to be just as useful. FACS is a facial coding method developed by Paul Ekman which focuses on facial coding based on the 7 basic emotions which are universal in nature across all cultures, age, gender and ethnicity. While both methods of lie detection have its own sets of shortcomings they can be used in tandem to create a higher chance of detecting deception. However, the question is not if the subject is lying but why the subject is lying.

Keywords, Lie detectors, Polygraphs, FACS

Are Lie Detectors Reliable

Introduction

In the modern age of the 21st century, humans have a dependence on technology to run their daily lives. Lie detectors or polygraphs are one example of such a technology which has been used by law enforcement agencies and even lawyers to interrogate and interview suspects and witnesses. The lie detector or polygraph test is a technique used to identify if conscious lying is taking place by a subject under observation by measuring physiological changes during an interrogation or interview (Bergman & Berman, 2013). The theory behind lie detectors and polygraphs is the measurement of physiological changes in 3 separate categories, breath, heart rate and galvanic skin response or sweat (Elias, n.d.). Although lie detectors have been used as a tool in the employment process of law enforcement in the United States, there is still a pressing concern of if the...