Experiences of a young, female, academic-oriented polygraph examiner.

Emily Cauduro MA

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What should a polygraph examiner look like? I think we can all agree that a polygraph examiner could be anyone given the proper training, credentials, work ethic, and capabilities. However, the public still believes that a polygraph examiner should fit into the same box; older, male, and involved in policing. Although this perception is changing with more females involved in the field, it is sometimes still a shock to clients when I greet them for their appointment.

My name is Emily Cauduro and I am a polygraph examiner in Ontario, Canada. I started as a polygraph examiner in 2019 after attending the Backster School of Lie Detection through Limestone Technologies held in San Antonio, Texas. At this time, I had just graduated from my undergraduate degree in forensic science and psychology, and I was working in sex therapy and treatment. Shortly after finishing the basic accreditation program in polygraph, I applied to be a member of the Canadian Association of Police Polygraphers and the American Polygraph Association, I started my master’s degree, and I opened a private polygraph business. I have now been operating my business for 4 years in addition to working on my PhD degree in criminology.

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I understand that my path is a unique one as I am young, I am a female, I am an academic, I am not a police office nor have I been a police officer, and I primarily use polygraph in more of a therapy-type setting. I provide this information about myself to share my perspective but also to show the different paths into becoming a polygraph examiner and to express my gratitude to the APA and CAPP organizations for welcoming me into the polygraph field. I also feel that my perspective is important to share with other individuals in the field as I often feel like an outsider within the polygraph community.

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Insider or outsider status can be in relation to one’s positionality including race, class, genre, culture, experiences, and/or education (Merriam et al., 2001). Essentially, positionality posits where you stand in relation to other people but can shift and change over time depending on your lived experiences (Merriam et al., 2001). All individuals due to their positionality find themselves having to negotiate their insider or outsider status depending on who they are working with or whom they are polygraphing. The reason this is important to keep in mind is because individual experiences or perspectives may be different depending on one’s positionality in relation to other members in the insider or outsider groups.

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Very early into working as a polygraph examiner, I became mindful of things that were expected of me to be perceived as a competent polygraph examiner and female business owner. First impressions matter; because I started as a young female in the polygraph field I was hyper aware of how to show my competence as a polygraph examiner through my appearance. I learned that I needed to portray myself as being older by wearing more conservative clothes, neutral colours, using moderate amounts of makeup, not using nail polish, and keeping my hair up in a tight bun. I was also mindful regarding the way I communicated with clients because there were some presumptions that I could be easily taken advantage of (clients showing up late or clients being verbally aggressive with me). Therefore, I needed to balance being nice and accommodating for clients in addition to standing up for myself and being firm with my own boundaries without having it misconstrued as being bossy or not empathetic.

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Throughout my experience as a polygraph examiner, I have been laughed at on the phone after a male caller heard my voice, I have been hung up on the phone also after a male caller heard my voice, and I have been threatened by a client that she would follow me home. I have received negative comments related to my age and therefore my perceived inexperience or inability to be a examiner polygraph examiner and I have received inappropriate messages from examinees sexualizing me and therefore discounting by ability to be a professional. These experiences have been really hard to go through, but I feel like these experiences have made me reflect on the importance of having boundaries in this field and have also made me a resilient examiner with a high level of emotional intelligent that I am able to carry into every polygraph session. I have also been able to connect with other female examiners during these times to hear their perspectives and experiences and build a support environment.

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In contrast, I am so grateful that I am a young female examiner because building rapport with my clients has come very easy for me. A majority of my clients have told me that they prefer having a female examiner to discuss the uncomfortable topics and I feel that clients are willing to be more vulnerable with me because of the judgement free space that I provide. I have had clients tell me that I have made them feel safe and heard, and that I am easy to relate to which made the polygraph experience less scary for them.

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With my academic background, I am also in the position to leverage opportunities for research and I have started conducting and conceptualizing polygraph research aimed to contribute to the polygraph literature. Using my lived experiences as a polygraph examiner, I can rely on real cases and clients to formulate ideas and hypotheses which helps me to be critical and question how we can lend more evidence-based practice to the polygraph field.

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All in all, I love being a polygraph examiner and what this role provides me. I am able to connect and speak to people of every background, I get to work on some very interesting cases, and I feel that I make a positive and valuable impact in the lives of majority of my clients. I am glad that the polygraph field is growing and including more female members and by being a member of the CAPP and APA I feel so honoured to know so many wonderful and intelligent people in the field of polygraph who I can look up to as role models.

 

References

Merriam, S. B., Johnson-Bailey, J., Lee, M-Y., Kee, Y., Ntseane, G., & Muhamad, M. (2001). Power and positionality: negotiating insider/outsider status within and across cultures. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 20(5), 405-416. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02601370120490

 

Suggested Reference:

Cauduro, E. (2023). Experiences of a Young, Female, Academic-Oriented Polygraph Examiner. American Polygraph Association Magazine, 56(3), 64-67.

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Lights, camera, polygraph!
Emily Cauduro Hon. BSc

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When the world stopped on March 11 th , 2020 due to the declaration of the pandemic, many people retreated to their homes and decided to wait out this unprecedented time by signing up for streaming services and catching up some television shows. I was not excluded from this hobby and came across the interesting world of Hollywood’s portrayal of polygraph in television shows and movies.

 

Based on some of the television programming I have enjoyed, I have been able to identify that
polygraphy is used in numerous genres of television shows and movies to advance the plot or as a form of punchline to a gag. Additionally, the portrayal of the polygraph equipment is often completely ridiculous and common countermeasures are often used as the best ways to “beat” a polygraph examination.

For example, the show White Collar follows the crime fighting duo of an FBI agent and a notorious (alleged) art thief who are assigned to work together to solve art crimes and frauds. In one episode, the art thief is required to take a polygraph examination but to my surprise is told to answer questions which is assessed by a voice stress machine. Here, he employs the classic thumb tack countermeasure to show that the voice stress machine can be manipulated by inflicted pain at the right time, which doesn’t make much sense considering that all the questions asked are relevant questions and the thumb tack is used randomly during his answers. In contrast, the show Suits which follows corporate lawyers, and their cases offers a better portrayal of polygraph equipment with most of the components properly being placed on the body. However, issues regarding the administration of the examination and the limitations of the polygraph instrument are ignored. For example, all the questions asked are relevant
questions, none of the questions are reviewed beforehand, and the room is full of distractions that would make the charts uninterpretable. Although I would say that Suits is more accurate to the polygraph process, there are still significant inaccuracies that would impact the public’s perception on polygraph testing.

More recently, I have come across the use of a polygraph instrument in Money Heist (also known as La Casa De Papel) which follows a band of thieves who break into the Royal Mint of Spain. When the Professor is found and captured by the Inspector, she has him take a polygraph against his will regarding the plan to get the others and the money they planned to steal out of the Royal Mint. The instrument used in this case resembles an old analog instrument however, there is a light and siren that are triggered when the individual lies while they are hooked up and taking the test.

On a more lighthearted side, and probably the most referenced use of polygraphy in Hollywood is Meet the Family. In this movie, Robert De Niro’s character persuades Ben Stiller’s character to take a polygraph “just for fun.” Although I was impressed that they used an old model analog instrument and mostly all the equipment is put on the body correctly, the uncomfortable questions and Stiller’s reactions on the test are exaggerated to make this comical for the audience to enjoy.

Another active community online is the true crime community. For anyone who isn’t familiar with this community, members can range from people interested in serial killers or infamous cases to people who feel that it is their duty to solve cold cases, which is interestingly portrayed in Don’t F**k with Cats. What makes this community so interesting is the fascination with the worst side of human behaviour and the associated morbid curiosity. To target the true crime community, streaming services offer content related to true crime documentaries that provide a sort of deep dive on specific cases or persons of interest. When Netflix released American Murder: The Family Next Door I had an influx of calls inquiring into polygraph services and the potential uses of a polygraph examination based on the way it was used and portrayed in the show. Although this could be seen as free advertising, I was also confronted by a population of people who first found out about polygraph testing from a television show and considered themselves experts because of the videos and information they found online.

 

The reason I find the phenomenon of portraying polygraph equipment in television shows and movies so interesting is the impact that it has on the general population and their perceptions on polygraph testing. Because I do private testing for the general population, most of the time my inquiry-based phone calls ask me questions about the validity of what they saw in a television shows and movies. Therefore, I spend a lot of my time having to explain that what is shown by Hollywood is fantasy and clear up misconceptions on what the test experience will actually look like. Common questions I get asked are “could I just do the test over the phone” (which I assume is a misattribution to a voice stress machine), “does a polygraph examination administer a shock when a question is asked,” “will there be any sounds during the test that will alarm when I am telling a lie,” or my personal favourite “why does a test take 2.5 hours to administer a polygraph when you’re only asking me 3 questions.”

I am not advocating that Hollywood do a better job at becoming more informed about polygraph testing, nor would they be interested in accurately portraying an APA-validated test because it lacks excitement needed for the big screen. I am only bringing this phenomenon to your attention so you can understand what your clients are consuming beforehand and how they think about polygraph testing. As more content is being produced on YouTube with celebrities taking a polygraph test and now talk shows using polygraph tests (Jimmy Kimmel and his pasta strainer helmet), it is important to understand the new trends on how people are becoming informed about polygraph and the preconceived perceptions that people have based on the content that is available online.

As examiners, it is important that we can use deception with our clients so maybe it is best that
Hollywood continue to have creative freedom over the portrayal of polygraphy and provide free
publicity of polygraph testing.

Did I miss any of your favourite shows or movies that reference polygraphy? Feel free to let me know!

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Suggested citation:

Cauduro, E. (2022). Lights, camera, polygraph! The magazine for polygraph professionals. APA Magazine, 55(1), 55-57.