Polygraph Testing
Lizor et al.
second one was nodding and moving her head, which then caused the equipment to label her exam
as an NO. Another female participant was dozing off during both Phases I and II. For Phase I she
scored an NSR, but in Phase II she scored an NO. In Phase II, the examiner noted that this
individual was not being a willing participant.
Polygraph Process
When asked about the polygraph experience, a majority of participants, 11 out of 14, noted
that it was “interesting.” This may be because it was their first time doing this and for several of
them, their only frame of reference was what they had seen on television. One male participant
commented that he had “seen many different TV shows where they are polygraphing somebody
and I thought that the polygraph examination was really not a big deal. However, I learned in real
life it is more of a challenge.” A female participant noted that comparing TV to really doing it, “it
was different than what I had expected.” Another female participant noted that it was interesting
because of getting “hooked up to all the equipment.” Also, another male participant noted that it
was interesting because he had to be still and that “if I moved too much, that would mean that I
was guilty.” The third male participant commented that it was interesting, as in the real world if
he was taking this without an interpreter, it would be really hard.
The participants discussed how they could not sit still throughout the polygraph exam. In
Deaf culture, deaf people sign to communicate (which includes moving the hands and arms and at
times, the shifting of the body itself), which is why during the exam several participants wanted to
use signed language to answer instead of answering silently in their mind. Out of 14 participants,
six mentioned that they would rather use signed language to answer the questions. The fourth male
participant stated that, “I just had to relax, and remember not to sign yes or no and that’s really
hard because I am just so used to signing yes or no.” Another, the first female participant,”
mentioned, “I think answering silently in your mind is something that is not equivalent to what
hearing people can do because deaf people are so used to signing and moving.” The third male
participant stated:
It felt like nothing, because I’m so used to signing that just sitting there not
communicating, not doing anything, was really boring. It felt so silent to just sit
there and I couldn’t say any word or sign because if I did it would skew the
polygraph results.
Language and Communication Needs
A large majority of participants in the study (12 out of 14) commented during Phase I that
they needed an interpreter. Eleven out of 14 participants mentioned that it is very difficult to lip
read, as they can only understand a few words here and there. The second female participant
commented that she “really didn’t understand anything at all” and would like an interpreter. The
second male participant noted that he felt uncomfortable with trying to lip read and that “I need an
interpreter.” The third male participant mentioned that he does not read lips, so “they need to
provide an interpreter; it is very important.” The fourth female participant noted that there “was a
major communication breakdown” and that “an interpreter is required.” This was echoed in the
fifth male participant’s comments as well. The fifth female participant made an insightful comment
that as the information from the polygraph could “be used against a person if they don’t understand
SASLJ, Vol. 2, No.1 – Spring/Summer 2018
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