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EXPERIMENTAL COMPARISON OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS EVALUATOR AND THE GALVANIC SKIN RESPONSE IN DETECTION OF DECEPTION

NCJ Number
64832
Journal
Journal of Applied Psychology Volume: 63 Issue: 3 Dated: (JUNE 1978) Pages: 338-344
Author(s)
F HORVATH
Date Published
1978
Length
7 pages
Annotation
THIS ARTICLE DETAILS AN EXPERIMENT THAT WAS CONDUCTED TO COMPARE THE RELIABILITY OF TWO TESTING DEVICES--THE PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS EVALUATOR (PSE) AND THE GALVANIC SKIN RESPONSE (GSR)--IN DETECTING SUSPECT DECEPTION.
Abstract
THE PSE IS A VOICE-MEDIATED LIE DETECTOR, AND THE GSR REPORTS PHYSIOLOGICAL DATA BY MEANS OF A POLYGRAPH INSTRUMENT. BOTH WERE USED TO DETECT LIES ABOUT NUMBERED CARDS CONCEALED BY 30 FEMALE AND 30 MALE COLLEGE STUDENTS. EVALUATION OF EXPERIMENT RESPONSE DATA WAS CARRIED OUT BY TWO TRAINED POLYGRAPH EVALUATORS. THEIR INTERRATER AGREEMENT WAS .38 FOR THE PSE ANALYSIS AND .92 FOR GSR EVALUATION. THE RATES OBTAINED IN THE PSE ANALYSIS WERE AT CHANCE LEVELS AND WERE NOT SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTED BY SEX, SIMULTANEOUS USE OF BOTH PSE AND POLYGRAPH APPARATUS, REPEATED TRIALS OF TESTING, OR EVALUATOR DIFFERENCES. HOWEVER, THE STUDY WAS LIMITED SINCE THE FULL TECHNICAL CAPABILITY OF THE PSE WAS NOT EVALUATED, AND OVERT MANIPULATION OF THE SUBJECTS' MOTIVATIONAL LEVEL WAS NOT EMPLOYED. THE DETECTION RATES IN PSE ANALYSIS WERE NOT DISSIMILAR TO THOSE REPORTED BY OTHER INVESTIGATORS WHO HAD MADE NONINSTRUMENTAL ATTEMPTS TO DETECT DECEPTION IN THE HUMAN VOICE. NEITHER THE PSE NOR ITS THEORETICAL PREMISE APPEARED TO BE USEFUL APPROACHES TO RESOLVING PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH DETECTING STRESS IN THE VOICE. MORE SPECIFICALLY, AS A MEANS OF DETECTING DECEPTION, THE PSE WAS FOUND HIGHLY UNRELIABLE AND WAS CLEARLY MUCH LESS USEFUL THAN THE TRADITIONAL FIELD MEASURE OF ELECTRODERMAL ACTIVITY. REFERENCE NOTES AND REFERENCES ARE GIVEN. (MJW)

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