| Details | | Publication Date: | 1998-05-01 | | Edition Description: | Subsequent |
| Size | | Length: | 333 pages | | Height: | 9.3 in | | Width: | 6.5 in | | Thickness: | 1.0 in | | Weight: | 23.2 oz |
Publisher's Note
Over the past 60 years, the mystique of the polygraph, or lie detector machine, has caused far too many people to be hoodwinked into blind acceptance of this device. Foisted on the public by its developers and their disciples as an infallible arbiter of truth, this machine is cloaked in a mantle of pseudo-science. However, despite its reputation, scientific evidence indicates that the polygraph is about as accurate as tossing a coin. In this clear, lively, and interesting book, David Lykken explains why our press and government nevertheless continue to believe in what the late Senator Sam Ervin, of Watergate fame, described as "20th Century witchcraft". Lest anyone be lulled into complacency, by the prevalence of the lie detector, the author presents case histories of persons whose lives have been blighted by our uniquely American faith in the myth of the polygraph. Dr. Lykken also explains how to "beat" the machine, not only because it is unfair that spies and Mafia soldiers already know these techniques, but also because innocent persons have a nearly 50:50 chance of failing lie detector tests unless they use appropriate countermeasures.
Industry Reviews
Lykken, a well-known polygraph expert, dismantles many myths of lie detector tests and practices and allows us to evaluate assumptions surrounding these tests, which measure variations in an individual's emotional stress. Seventeen years after the book's first edition (LJ 10/1/80), he offers a work to reflect substantial changes in truth detection technology during that period, tracing the historical and scientific background of lie detection based on different polygraph tests. Lykken critically examines many tools designed to verify the truth and finds no specific response in the scientific literature. He offers his own Guilty Knowledge Test (GKT) as based on sounder psychological principles than the dominant polygraph Control Question Test (CQT). Lykken argues that GKT has an ability to detect both guilt and innocence. Individuals interested in legal and criminal matters and social and psychological testing will welcome this book. Recommended for public libraries. Steven Puro, St. Louis Univ.
Donovan
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