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Validity of the Preemployment Polygraph Examination and the Effects of Motivation

NCJ Number
82621
Journal
Polygraph Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1981) Pages: 143-155
Author(s)
E I Correa; H E Adams
Date Published
1981
Length
13 pages
Annotation
The present study examined the validity of the preemployment polygraph examination and the effects of motivation on deception detection in an analog situation.
Abstract
Subjects were 40 Research Participants (20 male, 20 females), undergraduates from the University of Georgia. Five females and five males were randomly assigned to each of four groups: Lying-Motivated, Lying-Unmotivated, Truthful-Motivated, and Truthful-Unmotivated. Validity of Experimenter B's subjective ratings of polygraph records as overall Truthful or Lying was 100%, significantly more accurate than chance (p < .01); validity of Experimenter B's subjective identifications of individual lie items ranged from 68% to 100%. Objectively, lying responses were characterized by significantly larger increases in conductance for SRL and larger decreases in heart rate than truthful responses; motivation had no overall main effect but interacted with other independent variables on several physiological measures. Results were discussed in light of previous research. (Author abstract)

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