A polygraph test, also known as a lie detector test, is a type of psychological assessment. It measures and records physiological responses in response to questions administered by a polygraph examiner. The examiner asks questions concerning personal background information and secret thoughts, to determine if the examinee is telling the truth or not. The questions are designed to be answered with “yes” or “no”. There are many types of polygraph tests that can be used for different purposes such as employee screening, criminal investigations, and military personnel selection tests. The benefits of a polygraph test include:
- The possibility of eliminating false positives
With the use of polygraph tests, there is a possibility of eliminating false positives. In other words, if you are not telling the truth, you will react to question that are designed to determine if the examinee is lying or not. The polygraph test can eliminate the possibility of hiring a person with a false positive result. A false positive means that a person tells the truth but their results show them to be lying. In other words, this is an indication that you are telling lies but your results show you telling the truth.
- The elimination of false negatives
The other benefit of using polygraph tests is the elimination of false negatives. This means that the results obtained from the polygraph test will tell a person whether or not he is telling lies. It will also tell if someone is telling the truth or not. This eliminates false negatives from being hired by an employer. A false negative is an indication that a person is lying but his results show him to be telling the truth.
- Eliminates bias
Another benefit of using polygraph tests is the elimination of bias. With the use of polygraph tests, employers can eliminate bias that may be present in their hiring decisions when making an offer to a job candidate. The reason for this is because the polygraph test makes it possible to determine if someone is lying or not. This eliminates the possibility of a person being judged based on her physical appearance or standard qualifications that are used to eliminate candidates in most employers’ personal judgment. The use of polygraph tests in the hiring process will eliminate bias and eliminate derogatory information that is obtained from the employer’s personal judgment.
- Eliminates Bias in Criminal investigations
The use of polygraph tests in the hiring process will eliminate bias in the criminal investigation processes. This is because a person who is being investigated will take a polygraph test and answer questions that are designed to determine if they are telling the truth or not. This means that if a person is telling lies, his true condition and emotions will be revealed during the polygraph test. This eliminates the possibility of misleading investigations by providing honest information through a polygraph test.
- The effectiveness of polygraph tests
The use of polygraph tests can be effective in the hiring process by providing employers with truthful information. This is because a person who is being interviewed will take a polygraph test to determine if they are telling the truth or not. This means that if someone is lying, their true condition and emotions will be revealed during the polygraph exam. The results of these exams are provided to employers in order for them to make unbiased hiring decisions for their business.