Resources
Links & Resources
For visitors interested in the polygraph we have selected a few articles, documents and reports of significance in the field. We hope you enjoy them.
Research & Reports
University of Kent — Polygraph & Sex Offender Monitoring (2020)
A 2020 study investigating the value of polygraph testing to help monitor convicted sex offenders in the community. Findings showed polygraph testing increases risk-relevant disclosures regardless of whether voluntary or mandatory.
Central Intelligence Agency — Spy Interviews Report
A redacted interim report from a CIA project interviewing convicted spies. A central finding was that of all security protections in place, convicted spies were only concerned about the polygraph.
National Research Council — The Polygraph and Lie Detection (2003)
An expansive and thorough 2003 NRC report on the polygraph. Though conclusions are mixed, the NRC could not support any alternative to the polygraph among those it considered.
American Polygraph Association — Meta-Analytic Survey (2011)
A literature review and statistical summary of evidence for validated polygraph techniques. Accuracy estimates aligned with the NRC 2003 report and became a default guide for APA member field practices.
Federal Examiner Handbook (2006)
The US government policy manual for federal polygraph programs covering technical aspects for preparation, conduct, analysis, and reporting of polygraph examinations. The most recent version in the public domain.
Historical Documents
First Suggestion of the Polygraph — On the Witness Stand (1908)
Professor Hugo Münsterberg of Harvard University collected essays on the intersection of law and psychology. The chapter "The Traces of Emotion" suggested the physiological data channels that would later become the polygraph.
First Report of the Use of the Polygraph — Dr. John A. Larson (1922)
The first scientific article about the polygraph, written by Dr. John A. Larson of the Berkeley Police Department. He describes his approach and one of his first criminal cases.