Polygraph Testing as a Chief Method of Ensuring National Security - Essay Example

Critique and Development of Research Questions Introduction The modern global context of terrorism, international crimes, and nuclear threats, national security is one of the most significant concerns of every nation and security departments are in search of the most modern and reliable techniques to counter the challenges raised by these threats to national security. In the American context, there is even greater relevance to the measures that ensure national security and it is important to introduce more scientific and dependable techniques to fight the threats to national security. Polygraph testing has been considered as a chief method of ensuring national security and the employment of Polygraph interviews as part of security clearance procedures in different branches of the American government has been widely criticized. Thus, in the background of ongoing debates on the utility of polygraph in national security, the scope and relevance of a profound research on the topic is categorical. In this research paper, the focal attempt has been to make a scrupulous investigation on ‘the utility of polygraph in national security’. The psycho-physiological detection of deception (PDD) including polygraph testing should be given more crucial attention in current researches. “In stark contrast to the scientific literature on forensic use of PDD, the use of FDD in employment and for screening, including screening for national security, is the subject of relatively little published research. Initial commentary on the use of polygraphs for national security screening focused on problems that all diagnostic tests experience when attempting to diagnose a rare condition.” (Granhag and Strömwall, 2004, p 118). In the background of serious debates on the question, it is of central implication to have a precise analysis of the matters and to come up with the most sagacious findings on the question. Therefore, the importance of this research paper is greater and the potential findings of this investigation on ‘the utility of polygraph in national security’ also justify the scope of the study. The Critique of Research Questions The utility of polygraph in national security has been a critical topic which has attained enormous focus and invited national interest in the modern American context. The paper attempts to undertake a profound investigation into the topic ‘The Utility of Polygraph in National Security’ and come up with the most sagacious findings on the questions which attract the current debates. Polygraph testing has been a serious technique of security assurance for a long time, in spite of the severe criticisms against its use. To track the history, the polygraph interviews have been an essential part of the security clearance procedures for both civilian and military personnel since the Cold War and are extensively employed in pre-employment screening of police recruits. There is a strong view which confirms the effectiveness of polygraph testing. According to MacLaren, “the polygraph technology used in the Department of Defense screening program appears to have considerable validity and utility… The polygraph screening program has a respectable record of identifying persons with hostile or selfish intentions that are contrary to the maintenance of national security.” (MacLaren, 2000, p 155). However, there have been serious criticisms against the attempts to employ the polygraph technology in areas related with national security. These are mainly due to the scientific findings which question the validity and accuracy of polygraph testing. “A review of the scientific literature on polygraph testing,” according to Sandia’s Senior Scientists and Engineers, “revealed substantial concern about polygraph accuracy for screening, and Federal law for most situations bars such usage. A summary of scientific opinion from a recent survey concludes that most psychology experts do not consider polygraphy to be technically sound and even more believe that skilled subversives can defeat polygraph tests.” (Polygraphs and Security, 1999). Therefore, the topic has raised some serious controversies of national interest and the investigation into the debates has great relevance in the modern global contexts. The research questions of this study, therefore, has immense validity as they try to bring about the most sensible conclusion on the debates concerning the utility of polygraphs in national security. The research questions connect to the debates and controversies related with the topic ‘the utility of polygraphs in national security’ and the relevance of these questions in determining the research findings cannot be disputed. The different studies on the utility of polygraph in ensuring National Security have contributed to an understanding of the controversies, and every new study has a vital function in determining the significance of polygraph in national security. From the early stage of the introduction of polygraphs, there have been debates on the utility of polygraphs in national security, and the topic has always been one of the most divisive questions in the national security sector. The Department of Energy (DOE) has been making attempts to set up polygraph screening for the employees and applicants as a measure to ensure security in the national nuclear weapons laboratories. There were severe criticisms against the presumptions of DOE that the tests would identify subversives and put off potential terrorists. The sub-panel of Sandia’s Senior Scientists and Engineers who made a profound analysis on ‘Polygraphs and Security’ concluded that “there is no adequate scientific basis for this assumption. No specific polygraphic or behavioral response has been directly linked to the act of deception…” (Polygraphs and Security, 1999). It was also specified by them that the subjective factors involved in the administration and interpretation of polygraph tests point to their limitations with regard to national security. Therefore, it is of central implication to have a precise analysis of the matters and to come up with the most sagacious findings on the question. The research questions of this study have great potential in analyzing all these controversial aspects and bringing about a logical conclusion. The employment of polygraph in national security must only follow a thoroughly researched and investigated study which confirms the effectiveness and answers the criticisms leveled against its use. These research questions are able to draw out some central concerns in the national security sector and to point to the essential areas of disputes. “Indeed, the lie detector’s contributions to the maintenance of national security have been far from straightforward. Although the instrument has certainly been occasionally deployed in national security campaigns on behalf of governmental agencies, the lie detector’s indebtedness to the domains of its emergence necessitates an expansion of the understanding of national security to include national culture.” (Kinsman, Buse, Steedman, and Kinsman, 2000, p 202). The main debates on the question rest on the validity and reliability of the modern polygraph, especially as it relates to national security. In the background of the criticisms on the validity and reliability of the modern polygraph, it is important to realize that the technique can never be dependable in finding the security threats. In fact, “the polygraph machine is not a lie detector but rather an instrument that charts changes in an individual’s respiration, heart rate, blood pressure, and sweat gland activity in response to a series of yes or no questions. Polygraph examiners determine whether a person’s physiological reaction is stronger in responding to certain questions when contrasted with recorded reactions to a series of comparison “control” questions. Stronger reactions indicate that the individual may be deceptive.” (Cumming, 2003). Therefore, the method is not scientific by any standards and it can lead to unwarranted suspicions and lapse in areas of national security. That is to say, the arguments against the employment of polygraph tests in national security have strong evidences against its effectiveness. However, there are a number of experts who argue in favor of the use of polygraph tests in national security. The relevance of these research questions in finding the facts behind the debates is unquestionable. It is essential to relate here that most of the DOE Scientists are sceptical about the utility of polygraph in national security, although there are some extreme exponents of the method. “Many DOE laboratory personnel have a ‘very negative’ attitude towards the polygraph… As distinct from the utility of the polygraph, supporters and critics of the polygraph agree that the scientific evidence relevant to the accuracy of polygraph screening tests—the principal purpose of DOE’s polygraph program—is extremely limited… The American Polygraph Association (APA), the largest polygraph association consisting of examiners in the private, law enforcement, and government fields, blames the paucity of research into the scientific basis for the polygraph or any other deception detection technique on a lack of resources.” (Cumming, 2003). All these factors suggest the seriousness of the topic and a logical conclusion on the controversies is the requirement of the day. Thus, the research questions put forward by this study endeavors to bring about an amicable solution to the issue and a termination to the clouds of suspicions on the debate. Conclusion The research questions developed in this study focus on finding the most appreciable findings about the debates concerning the utility of polygraphs in national security. The entire arguments in favour of and against the attempts to employ polygraph testing in sectors of national security need reflective and profound analysis so as to come to the most effective conclusions on the whole matter. Therefore, the research questions of the study need to incorporate essential aspects of the topic and only an extensive analysis of the various elements relating to the issue can lead to a meaningful conclusion. References Cumming, Alfred. (2003). Polygraph Use by the Department of Energy: Issues for Congress. CRS Report for Congress. Retrieved January, 02, 2009, from http://www.fas.org/irp/crs/RL31988.pdf Granhag, Pär Anders., and Strömwall, Leif A. (2004). The Detection of Deception in Forensic Contexts. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p 118. Kinsman, Gary William., Buse, Dieter K., Steedman, Mercedes., and Kinsman, Gary. (2000). Whose National Security?: Canadian State Surveillance and the Creation of Enemies. Between the Lines. p 202. MacLaren, V.V. (2000).  Can we trust counterintelligence polygraph tests?  Polygraph, 29, 2, p 151-155. Retrieved January, 02, 2009, from http://ftp.fas.org/sgp/othergov/polygraph/maclaren.html “Polygraphs and Security: A Study by a Subpanel of Sandia’s Senior Scientists and Engineers.” (1999). Retrieved January, 02, 2009, from http://ftp.fas.org/sgp/othergov/polygraph/sandia.html Read More