. . .As for polygraphs, it is a case of mind over matter.
Psychopaths can pass polygraphs because they don't feel anxiety and stress associated with lying. And because they lack empathy, MRIs tend to show low activity when it comes to warm emotions. Add to that a lot of practice in lying, it stands to reason their physiological responses will reflect that.
Verité;3882000 said:
I suspect that there are many who would support the above unquestioningly. Sorry, but I can't.
1. If you would be so kind as to give us any reference anywhere about your blanket implication that psychopaths can pass polygraphs, or that they don't
feel anxiety/stress, I'd appreciate it (assuming that you're talking about "psychopaths" as being equivalent to the diagnostic term "antisocial
pesonality disorder"). I'm having an awful time reconciling your assertion with the findings of that huge study on Viet Nam vets with a comorbidity of
PTSD and APD (and subsequent studies on Gulf War Syndrome/PTSD/APD).
I've spent the last couple hours reviewing the empirical literature on the above and can now share my findings. Apparently, elemenatary, you aren't
the only one with a misconception about polygraphy/psychopathy.
In one study, numerous psychology textbooks were reviewed for their assertions about polygraphy with the results showing abysmal misrepresentations.
Those study researchers recommended that the authors of psychology texts (used to teach college students) would do well to actually examine the
research literature rather than rely on the "extreme proponents" of one side or the other in the ongoing controversy about polygraph examinations,
searching for "truth rather than bias."
One misconception, stated as fact, was that polygraph tests can be fooled by people who are psychopathic. The researchers concluded that the scientific
literature does not support this claim. The data on psychopaths is particularly clear.
They have no special ability to fool the polygraph. In fact,
scientific studies support the opposite conclusion with results strongly contradicting the common belief that psychopaths (sociopaths) can
"beat the polygraph."
In another study where convicted felons were diagnosed as psychopathic, not a single guilty subject was able to produce a truthful result on the exam.
Rather, there were some indications that the deception of psychopaths may be easier to detect. The results with these criminals also supported the
idea that deceptive psychopaths are as
physiogically reactive and as readily detected as non-psychopaths. Thus, the fears that psychopathic
criminals are able to be successful in deception during polygraph exams can be dispelled.
This calls to mind the famous CIA agent/defector, Aldrich Ames, who assured his Russian counterpart not to worry when Ames was scheduled for
a lie detector test--because he could fool it. Despite his sophistication as a double agent, Ames failed all three of the polygraphs--though it was the
polygraph examiner's wrong conclusion that this didn't mean that Ames was a spy for the Russians; rather, he was probably just having money problems.
(It is most often examiner error which contributes to erroneous polygraph conclusions.)
(References for all the above furnished on request.)