Can you polygraph an autistic person successfully?
The "lie detector" and sensory processing issues
I read with interest an article a while ago on PoliceOne about the Pennsylvania State Troopers ending their practice of administering a polygraph examination as part of their hiring process. The article lead with, the "Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Tyree C. Blocker has quietly scrapped the agency's long-held practice of administering lie-detector tests to its recruits." I think this is great news. Here's hoping that the "lie detector" goes the way of the buggy whip.
First off, there's no such thing as a "lie detector." A polygraph system, with a polygraph examiner/analyst does not detect lies. It simply doesn't. The machine is a quasi-biofeedback device employed by a trained interrogator. There is no scientific basis for "lie detection" as a machine / person combination. Polygraph exams have absolutely no way to look into your mind to detect that you are not telling the truth (source).
Secondly, I've taken several polygraph tests in my lifetime - both pre-employment and in- service. The following is a synopsis of what makes me laugh about the tool. In general, the devices utilize a strap-like device to monitor breathing, a blood pressure cuff to monitor your blood pressure, a special chair that senses body movement, and a moisture sensor attached to a fingertip. This all plugs into a break-out box that attaches to a computer. The polygraph software displays the feedback from the sensors and the analyst monitors this feedback as they ask questions.
These sensors are made in "standard" sizes. When I was working in Police Service, I not a standard size, not in the least. The last time I sat for a polygraph, I was playing football for the California Blue Nights (NPSFL). I'm 6'7", and at the time I was a 410 lb. OT. The chest strap didn't fit. The blood pressure cuff wasn't big enough to fit on my upper arm, so the analyst put it on my wrist. I didn't fit in their special chair. The only thing that fit was the moisture sensor on the tip of my finger. If the sensors don't fit, tell me how the machine is getting accurate information. My other experiences with the polygraph yielded similar hilarity.
But more importantly, I'm NOT neuro-typical. I'm autistic. I have brain wiring "issues" (Sensory Processing Disorder, was one of my initial diagnoses during the reign of DSM III & IV). As such, I do not respond to sensory stimulus in a typical way. When I noted this to the various examiners, they had no idea what I was taking about ... one accused me of purposeful deception / employing countermeasures for bring up my brain wiring issues and noted that I failed the exam. Remember, the polygraph isn't a scientific test - it's an interview / interrogation technique. Thankfully, I didn't need to "pass" that test.
An autistic person simply won't do well taking the polygraph exam, no matter what's in their personal background. As an interrogation, autistics won't respond well to the pressure applied by the examiner. Those who struggle with appropriate vocal responses will do horribly, even if the questions are given to them in advance. Do you stim? This will be interpreted a as countermeasures and you will be told over and over to sit still. If you can't, you'll fail. Calmly remaining still whist strapped to a chair as an authority figure interrogates you is not a common skill set among autistics.
Given that it has no basis in science, I applaud Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Tyree C. Blocker for ditching the "lie detector." As more agencies look to what Commissioner Blocker has done, I hope that they'll look to scrap this discriminatory barrier to employment.
Yes, I said it. The use of the polygraph is discriminatory. The Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988 "generally prevents employers engaged in interstate commerce from using lie detector tests either for pre-employment screening or during the course of employment, with certain exemptions." (source) Those exemptions are federal/state/local government employers - and a few other rare circumstances.
In our modern society, there's a wealth of information available on individuals with which a potential employer can measure a person's suitability for employment. Here's hoping that more agencies embrace available data and ditch the "lie detector."