Lie To Me's Take on the Hand-held Lie Detector

The 2nd episode of the new Fox television series, Lie To Me, opened with a quick debunking of the polygraph. Cal Lightman, the shows main character, is a behavioral scientist who specializes in the study of facial expressions. Asked by the Department of Homeland Security to evaluate its new hand-held polygraph, he graphically illustrates how it is no better than a primitive trial by ordeal in which a person accused of a crime must hold an egg without breaking it.

It's worth noting that the questions identified in the segment as "control" questions ("Do you work for the Department of Homeland Security?" and "Do you have black hair?") are actually _irrelevant_ questions and would not be scored.

Unfortunately, the hand-held lie detector seen in this episode is not something made up by Lie To Me's screenwriters. In 2008, the U.S. Department of Defense began fielding just such a hand-held polygraph in an attempt to screen out terrorists among the local populations in Afghanistan and Iraq. For more on the "Preliminary Credibility Assessment Screening System" (PCASS), see:

https://antipolygraph.org/cgi-bin/forums/YaBB.pl?num=1207745485

and for information on how this scientifically baseless "test" can be passed whether or not one is telling the truth, see:

https://antipolygraph.org/cgi-bin/forums/YaBB.pl?num=1207756058

For more on Lie To Me, see:

http://www.fox.com/lietome/

For more on the work of Paul Eckman that inspired the show, see:

http://www.paulekman.com/

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• lie
• to
• me
• hand
• held
• polygraph
• detector
• egg

[SirMildredPierce]

Great video and the clip from Lie to Me was a great clip, I can see why you found it useful. The egg bit, is that true? I found the parallels fascinating.

[AntiPolygraph]

I can't vouch for the egg story. There is a similar account in the Wikipedia entry for "Polygraph," but the entry lacks any citation.

[Hooplaa10]

I am curious. Is it true that someone can tell if you are lying just by facial expressions? :/

Anyways, great video.

[AntiPolygraph]

No. There is no "Pinnochio reaction" that can be read on people's faces when they lie. However, facial expressions may give clues that a person's emotions don't match their words, and in some such cases, inferences might be made about whether a person is telling the truth.

[Hooplaa10]

So in reality, there is no sure-fire way to tell if one is lying. Correct?

[AntiPolygraph]

Correct.

[eddytsp]

I'd like to point out this is a great example of fair use of copyrighted material under US Code. Thanks for applying your criticism, comment, and scholarship to this clip.

[fpbologna]

it hardly looks like a penis, listen to what hes saying you 5 year old

[asceventura]

@xTeenageMillionairex You do know that even though it's a TV show, it is still accurate as to what false-positives are when it comes to polygraphy. Anyone can pass a polygraph as long as the probable-lie questions, such as something people would normally lie about (have you ever stolen money) have a higher "spike" than the relevant questions.

[sangelsXDDDDD]

Just look at him, he is so stressful, he is not confident during all his time of talking. Why is it so??

[dlpmario]

I a fan of the tv show. I am in agreement with the show when they say, and I quote, "the problem isn't just knowing if someone is lying, it's why"... I have read the work of Paul Ekman and I myself have seen the very same body language they describe when they say someone is lying.... This work is based on very firm foundation. Although it's not always easy to infer what some people may be hiding or why.

[xTeenageMillionairex]

You know it is just a tv show. Right?

[dawala1000]

very nice video thank you

[JoshPahr]

By just math, you can calculate how four spies can breach security in a government agency. Let's say you screen 10,000 employees, with a 90% polygraph accuracy. 10 are spies. You catch 9 spies, but about 1000 people lose their jobs for a false negative. You screen 1000 replacements, 10 spies 1 gets through, 100 honest people are denied employment. You screen 100, 1 gets through, 10 don't get hired. One gets through, 1 honest person is hired. 4 spies are hired 1110. It's less than 90%.

[snoookie456]

The best part about this intro was with the "gestural retreat" where he backs up, crosses his hands and that's supposed to be a sign that you don't believe what you are sayin... and they show the "I am not a crook" Nixon speech where he does the same thing XD XD

[egdapo]

That clip was BRILLIANT haha

[samuski36]

@rockerchick1500 A machine can produce evidence of a lie just about as well as putting my right hand on a bible and swearing to tell the truth so help me god, actually ensures that I'm telling the truth!

[thirteenfingers]

Brilliant video.

I'd give it "two thumbs up" but can only vote once. ;o)