NCJ Number
196941
Journal
Polygraph Volume: 31 Issue: 2 Dated: 2002 Pages: 135-144
Editor(s)
Deedra Senter
Date Published
2002
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study investigated the validity of the Psychological Stress Evaluator (PSE) in deception detection using the galvanic skin response (GSR) as the physiological measure against which the accuracy of the PSE is compared.
Abstract
In examining the validity of the Psychological Stress Evaluator (PSE), a voice-mediated lie detector, an experimental comparison was conducted using the galvanic skin response (GSR) in detection of deception. Sixty college students were recruited for this experiment from an introductory course in criminal justice. Twenty were randomly assigned to one of three testing conditions, the “tape only” condition. In the remaining two conditions, testing was carried out simultaneously using tape recording and polygraph apparatus. The PSE analysis yielded hit rates at chance levels. It was not significantly affected by the sex of the subjects, the simultaneous use of both PSE and polygraph apparatus, the repeated trials of testing, or evaluator differences. The hit rates obtained in the GSR analysis were far superior to those obtained in PSE analysis, well beyond chance levels. These findings were consistent with previous research and do not indicate that PSE is effective in detecting deception. Tables and references