Polygraph jitteriness isn’t uncommon. If an examinee is taking a lie detector test for the first time, they may develop reasonable nervousness even when answering questions truthfully.
Besides, certain mental conditions can trigger hyperactive symptoms that could amplify the same physiological responses typically measured during polygraph tests. A classic case is a change in heart rate, which is both a sign of deception and a consequence of intense anxiety.
On the flip side, the potential impact of emotional continence on polygraph tests has equally been investigated. This commonly occurs when a deceptive person is able to maintain their calm during the test, minimizing the impact of stress on their autonomic nervous system (ANS).
But can nervousness and anxiety truly impact a polygraph result? And if yes, to what extent?
Let’s find out.
Psychological and Physiological Responses
Contrary to popular misconception, polygraph exams do not target the subject’s psychological state. Instead, the tests are designed to analyze physiological responses, such as a change in heart rate and skin conductance.
However, an examinee’s mental and emotional state can amplify the physiological responses commonly measured in a lie detector test. This is especially common where psychological predispositions aren’t established beforehand.
Indeed, there’s compelling scientific evidence that an individual’s emotional state may impact their autonomic nervous system.
In one study, researchers found that emotions (both positive and negative) could alter the ANS. Stress and anxiety, in particular, have been shown to modulate the ANS activity and breathing rate.
Therefore, ignoring psychological baselines can significantly alter the outcome of a lie detector test.
Experiments and Case Studies
Multiple studies have attempted to establish the nexus between heightened anxiety and polygraph outcomes. In one such experiment, researchers concluded that nervousness is a common neural response to interrogations.
Being placed under intense scrutiny can elicit considerable anxiety in many polygraph examinees, regardless of their innocence. Therefore, polygraphers must deploy advanced baseline monitoring techniques to distinguish between physiological responses elicited purely by deception and those exacerbated by the examinee’s mental and emotional well-being.
Mitigating factors, such as underlying anxiety disorders or hypertension, must all be taken into account to avoid ambiguity.
Fortunately, certified polygraphers are professionally trained to harness these exceptional circumstances.
If you go into a lie detector test with intense anxiety, your current mental state becomes your normal pattern. Your examiner will then be concerned about significant changes to the established pattern, which implies that even a highly anxious defendant can still pass polygraph tests if their baselines are accurately established.
Failing the exam might be for other unrelated reasons, such as improper question design or the examiner asking too many irrelevant questions.
Polygraph Interpretation
To differentiate between truthfulness and deception, polygraph examiners typically use the Control Question Technique (CQT). This method entails comparing the pattern of response to relevant questions with control questions.
Relevant questions directly address the subject matter. Meanwhile, control questions are broad questions designed to elicit stronger physiological responses from a potentially deceptive examinee. They usually delve into the defendant’s minor past misdeeds but can be framed to associate such actions with the matter at hand.
A “deception” verdict is arrived at if there’s a pattern of stronger physiological response to relevant questions than to control questions, whereas the converse leads to a “non-deception” judgment. If both sets of questions elicit similar physiological responses, the test is deemed “inconclusive.”
Again, responses to both sets of questions must consider pre-established baselines. Professional examiners would then focus on any deviations from the defendant’s mental or emotional disposition, which suggest deception.
Ethical Considerations
Debate is raging on the fairness of using polygraph examinees’ emotional states as indicators of deception.
Many pundits aver that since nervousness is virtually inseparable from lie detector tests, polygraphers are bound to misinterpret the results. This can have far-reaching implications on the examinee’s life and reputation, particularly in criminal defense polygraphs.
However, it’s important to reiterate that polygraph examiners are professionally trained to harness defendants’ emotional baselines when interpreting the results. An accredited polygrapher can easily tell whether changes in physiological responses associated with deception are natural or exacerbated by your mental disposition.
Besides, a lie detector examiner will endeavor to put your mind at ease before administering a polygraph evaluation. This minimizes the impact of anxiety on the test’s overall accuracy.
The fact that polygraphers interpret lie detector tests by carefully analyzing the patterns in relevant and control questions makes the tests difficult to cheat, with or without mitigating factors.
Separating Anxiety from Polygraph Results
There’s no denying that anxiety and nervousness can interfere with a polygraph examinee’s ability to respond clearly to questions. However, these emotions cannot alter lie detector tests intrinsically.
Professional polygraphers acknowledge the impact of mitigating factors on polygraph evaluations. Therefore, they’ll subject their clients to preliminary interviews to establish crucial baselines.
These baselines would then constitute the examinees’ normal patterns, a deviation from which suggests deception.
