Lie Detection in the United States: An Ethnographic Approach

George Washington University, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

Many U.S. federal agencies and local law enforcement agencies rely on the polygraph to determine the trustworthiness of employees and use by the government has greatly increased over the last two decades. An ethnographic study of those who administer polygraph tests, polygraph trainers, those who must take the tests, scientists developing new lie detection technologies, and the small community of anti-polygraph advocates will illuminate the policy implications of the state's reliance on polygraphy. The findings will be made available in a book written for academic social scientists, policy makers, national security professionals, and the laypersons. This book will help people to understand how the polygraph operates in practice, and what the scientific validity of these tests is.