Any opinions of the efficacy of the polygraph?

[Columbia]

Good tool? Or voodoo science?

[Dookus]

1. voodoo

which is why it's not admissable in a court of law.

[Jack_Dawson]

2. Why you asking

Guilty of something?

[Columbia]

4. Nope

But am considering a career that requires pre-employment polygraph screening.

[Jack_Dawson]

7. Government job, eh?

Stick needles in your feet before you go.

[Columbia]

9. I've heard of that.

Not sure if I really want to work for Big Brother though. But it's hard to beat a stable job w/ benefits.

[Jack_Dawson]

11. Just be up-front about that joint you smoked

so they can't trip you up on the richter scale

[Columbia]

12. I would if I did.

But I haven't so I guess I can't.

[gottaB]

3. trial by ordeal

magic
farce
pseudoscience
terror

[Whitacre D_WI]

5. A little from column A, a little from column B.

Polygraphs can be useful, but they are far from perfect.

[Dookus]

6. here's a good article

http://www.csicop.org/si/2001-07/polygraph.html

[Columbia]

8. Thanks for the article

Very enlightening. Shameful that the US gov't is still relying on this witchery.

[Dookus]

14. they use it

NOT because it works, but because it scares people into telling the truth.

Any accomplished liar can pass a polygraph, and plenty of nervous truth-tellers can fail one. It's a psychological tool to intimidate people. It is NOT a tool that measures truthfulness, which is impossible.

[Florida_Geek]

10. How to beat it

http://antipolygraph.org/pubs.shtml

And no pins in shoes is not the answer.

[Padraig18]

13. Tony says they're voodoo.

He said the error rate is unacceptably high, particularly regarding 'deception'.