NCJ Number
238540
Journal
Polygraph Volume: 41 Issue: 1 Dated: 2012 Pages: 1-17
Date Published
2012
Length
17 pages
Annotation
The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Counterintelligence Screening Test(CIST) can accurately differentiate between truthful and deceptive subjects in a mock screening situation. In addition, three different methods of evaluating the polygraph charts (zone comparison, greatest control, and relevant-irrelevant) were compared to determine which gave the most accurate results.
Abstract
The CIST was developed by Military Intelligence polygraph examiners in 1971. Although it differed from previous polygraph screening techniques in several ways, the most controversial change was the use of the directed lie control question (DLCQ) to serve as a criterion for evaluating the subject's level of reactivity. Neither the validity of the DLCQ nor the validity of the CIST format had been established under controlled conditions. In the current study, 56 subjects were given CIST polygraph examinations to determine their truthfulness to five relevant questions concerning their personal background. Ground truth had previously been established by background investigation. The 56 subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups: truthful and deceptive. The truthful subjects (n = 26) were instructed to answer all five relevant questions truthfully. The deceptive subjects (n = 30) were instructed to falsify their answer to one of the five relevant questions (selected at random), but to answer the other four relevant questions truthfully. The deceptive subjects were offered $20 if they could beat the polygraph. The polygraph examiner's task was to determine whether each subject was truthful or deceptive, and if deceptive, to which question(s). Using the zone comparison scoring system, the examiners correctly categorized 37 (66 percent) of the 56 subjects, made no decision in 9 (16 percent) of the cases, and erroneously categorized 10 (18 percent) subjects (five false positive and five false negative errors). Excluding the nine inconclusive cases, 79 percent of the examiners' decisions were correct (p less than .001). All three chart evaluation methods were able to identify the truthful subjects, but only the zone comparison and relevant-irrelevant methods were able to identify the deceptive subjects at greater than chance levels. Additional research is needed to assess the accuracy of the CIST technique relative to other polygraph screening formats. (Published Abstract)