Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Lemme Tell Ya ’Bout The Polygraph Test - Can a Machine Really Detect Lies?
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Lemme Tell Ya ’Bout The Polygraph Test - Can a Machine Really Detect Lies?
The polygraph test has been called a lie detector, a psychological tool, and junk science—sometimes all at once. In this episode of The Tom Gulley Show, Tom Gulley takes a deep, clear-eyed look at the history, science, and controversy surrounding the polygraph test, from its early use in criminal investigations to its ongoing role in law enforcement, national security, and pop culture.
How does a polygraph actually work? What is it measuring—and what is it not measuring? Why are polygraph results often inadmissible in court, yet still widely used in interrogations, job screenings, and high-profile cases? Tom breaks down the mechanics behind the test, the assumptions it relies on, and the reasons experts remain sharply divided over its reliability.
This episode also explores famous polygraph cases, common myths about beating the test, and the psychological pressure polygraphs can exert regardless of their scientific limits. Along the way, Tom examines whether the polygraph’s real power lies less in detecting lies and more in influencing behavior.
If you’re interested in true crime, criminal psychology, interrogation techniques, forensic science, or the blurred line between science and belief, this conversation cuts through the hype and gets to what the polygraph test can—and cannot—tell us.
The Tom Gulley Show delivers thoughtful, long-form conversations about history, media, culture, and the stories that refuse to go away.
thetomgulleyshow.com
View all episodes
By Tom Gulley
3
1414 ratings
The polygraph test has been called a lie detector, a psychological tool, and junk science—sometimes all at once. In this episode of The Tom Gulley Show, Tom Gulley takes a deep, clear-eyed look at the history, science, and controversy surrounding the polygraph test, from its early use in criminal investigations to its ongoing role in law enforcement, national security, and pop culture.
How does a polygraph actually work? What is it measuring—and what is it not measuring? Why are polygraph results often inadmissible in court, yet still widely used in interrogations, job screenings, and high-profile cases? Tom breaks down the mechanics behind the test, the assumptions it relies on, and the reasons experts remain sharply divided over its reliability.
This episode also explores famous polygraph cases, common myths about beating the test, and the psychological pressure polygraphs can exert regardless of their scientific limits. Along the way, Tom examines whether the polygraph’s real power lies less in detecting lies and more in influencing behavior.
If you’re interested in true crime, criminal psychology, interrogation techniques, forensic science, or the blurred line between science and belief, this conversation cuts through the hype and gets to what the polygraph test can—and cannot—tell us.
The Tom Gulley Show delivers thoughtful, long-form conversations about history, media, culture, and the stories that refuse to go away.
thetomgulleyshow.com