The Fatigue Trap: Why You Shouldn’t Administer a Polygraph Test When a Person Is Under Stress
2 July 21:47
YOUTUBE
Errors during polygraph tests most often arise not because of the device itself, but due to human factors—such as deviations from the procedure or decisions made by the polygraph examiner. Vladimir Vedmid, chairman of the National Association of Polygraph Examiners of Ukraine, spoke about this in an interview with the YouTube channel "Komersant Ukrainian".
He emphasized that the polygraph itself does not draw conclusions or “detect lies.” Everything depends on how the specialist interprets the results.
“If we’re talking about the 5–7% error rate that is sometimes mentioned, this is, in essence, a consequence of the polygraph examiners’ own negligence,” he noted.
One of the most common problems is administering the test when the person is not in the right condition. For example, when the person is severely exhausted, under stress, or taking medications that affect their physiological responses. In such cases, according to Vedmed, the test should be rescheduled, but sometimes it is conducted anyway—due to time constraints or pressure from the client.
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That is precisely when the risk of false conclusions increases.
Additionally, the National Association of Polygraph Examiners has a code of ethics that explicitly prohibits presenting the polygraph as a tool with 100% accuracy. The conclusions always state that the result depends on the conditions under which the test is conducted and the professionalism of the examiner.
“If all the rules are followed, the number of errors decreases significantly,” he concluded.
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