They are not considered admissible evidence in court (but the criminal justice system still use them to a degree..), and they can be interpreted with intentional bias, so I think it's fine to share.
One of my psychology professors told me that if you hide something like a sewing needle in your shoe's insole, you can ever so slightly apply pressure so that the poke causes a physiological spike. They monitor for movement, so it has to be very minute. The goal is to do this on every control question so that they cannot establish a baseline and have to give up.
The best way to invalidate a lie detector test is to not take one, because you can not be forced to take one unless you are applying for a job to the CIA.
Phrenology is more legitimate than polygraphs, and Prenology is nothing but bunk hokum.
I had clients in federal probation whose freedom was dependent on the results of annual polygraphs. Refusal was considered a fail, and they'd be shipped back to FedMed or prison. Inconclusive results were also blamed on the clients, and would count as a failed test.
Was total bullshit, especially given the level of function and serious psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses of my clients.
A polygraph, often incorrectly referred to as a lie detector test, is a junk science device or procedure that measures and records several physiological indicators … there are no specific physiological reactions associated with lying.
I argued with the PO and complained to my team about it all the time. Polygraphs are definitely junk science and absolutely should not determine someone's freedom.
The only functional use a polygraph has is as a tool of intimidation and coercion to people who are uninformed about the true nature of the device and how the handler can manipulate the results.
Which is why daytime TV shows like Dr.Phil looooooooooooved polygraphs.
Modern IQ testing is often compared to phrenology. In the revised version of "the Mismeasure of Man" (a history of pseudosciences used to measure humans, and why IQ is among them) the author explained that the comparison was unfair... to phrenology.
While the methodology of phrenology is bunk, Gould explained, it's theory is sound. Phrenology supposed that their were different locuses in the brain, each responsible for differing functions and that intelligence, behavior, and consciousness was the sum and synergy of these differing regions. This is still more or less the modern understanding of neuroscience. IQ meanwhile fails in methodology and theory.
I remember seeing some cop show a long time ago where they couldn't figure out how this guy kept screwing up their lot detector tests they were forcing him to take. They found out he was putting a tack under his big toe and using this trick so they scheduled him for another test, but they kept moving him from one building to another looking for the room they were supposed to be in, forcing him to walk a lot.
I've heard some of the more advanced bullshit detectors have pressure pads that the bullshiter sits on to measure how much actual shit they are holding back while taking a bullshit test to detect the actual bullshit, but that might be bullshit.
I'm not sure if this is true, likely not, since I saw it in a movie:
At the beginning, when they were establishing the baseline, they asked whether she had ever used marijuana. She said yes, which was a lie, but the interviewer thought it was the truth, because come on, who would've admitted that?
The bottom line is, when they're asking the baseline questions, lie (sometimes).
Again, I don't know how far this is from the truth, but that show was pretty cool.
I'm pretty sure the baseline questions are things they already know the answer to. Like what's your name, where were you born, etc. So lying about them would be obvious.