A Lie Detector Test for Landis?

If Floyd took a lie detector test and passed would it make any
difference?

On 8 Aug 2006 06:56:26 -0700, "Kenny" wrote:

If Floyd took a lie detector test and passed would it make any
difference?

Only if he failed it.

Kenny wrote:
If Floyd took a lie detector test and passed would it make any
difference?

The reliability of lie detector tests is hardly impressive.

The following is from the American Polygraph Association site
http://www.polygraph.org/betasite/apa5rev.htm
so it probably doesn't reflect any tendency to bash the polygraph
industry:

"The American Polygraph Association has a compendium of research
studies available on the validity and reliability of polygraph testing.
The 80 research projects listed, published since 1980, involved 6,380
polygraph examinations or sets of charts from examinations. Researchers
conducted 12 studies of the validity of field examinations, following
2, 174 field examinations, providing an average accuracy of 98%.
Researchers conducted 11 studies involving the reliability of
independent analyses of 1,609 sets of charts from field examinations
confirmed by independent evidence, providing an average accuracy of
92%. Researchers conducted 41 studies involving the accuracy of 1,787
laboratory simulations of polygraph examinations, producing an average
accuracy of 80%. Researchers conducted 16 studies involving the
reliability of independent analyses of 810 sets of charts from
laboratory simulations producing an average accuracy of 81%. "

Unless I'm missing something, average accuracy of 80% means that 20% of
the time it's wrong. That doesn't sound useful.

Bob Dole wrote:
:: Unless I'm missing something, average accuracy of 80% means that 20%
:: of the time it's wrong. That doesn't sound useful.

Hmm....if that were true for a game of craps....

Kenny wrote:
If Floyd took a lie detector test and passed would it make any
difference?

I don't now much about this, but is it possible that someone doped his
urine samples?

ISTM that he knew his samples would be subject to test, and I cannot
believe that he would be so dumb to think he would not be caught if he
took illegal substances.

EJ in NJ

On 8 Aug 2006 10:22:50 -0700, "Bob Dole" wrote:

Unless I'm missing something, average accuracy of 80% means that 20% of
the time it's wrong. That doesn't sound useful.

It seems to me, that a person basing their career, and AFAICT, their
Mennonite upbringing, on skirting the rules would have "natural"
lying tendencies. Perhaps throughout their lives they've been
deceitful children.

When they found out that _nobody_ can bull**** a bicycle they tried
tweaking the engine and found out that they can get away with it. . .
most of the time.

Anyway, to my eye, he's always looked dopey with his hat on backward
in every photo I've seen.
--
zk

On 8 Aug 2006 06:56:26 -0700, "Kenny" wrote:

If Floyd took a lie detector test and passed would it make any
difference?

No. Integrity is not the issue with such enforcement bodies; their
interest is restricted to whether a specific narrowly-defined test has
returned a result that is out of bounds. Intent, knowledge of the
violation, the cause of the infraction, whether the test is 100%
conclusive about the cause of the out-of-spec result; these things are
irrelevant to them.

I know too little about the science involved to have an informed
opinion about the validity of the tests, but my gut reaction to a
single spike in a series of tests as closely spaced as the ones under
discussion is that it looks much fishier for the testing body than the
athlete.


--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Zoot Katz wrote:
:: On 8 Aug 2006 10:22:50 -0700, "Bob Dole" wrote:
::
::: Unless I'm missing something, average accuracy of 80% means that
::: 20% of the time it's wrong. That doesn't sound useful.
::
:: It seems to me, that a person basing their career, and AFAICT, their
:: Mennonite upbringing, on skirting the rules would have "natural"
:: lying tendencies. Perhaps throughout their lives they've been
:: deceitful children.

What? That makes no sense to me.

::
:: When they found out that _nobody_ can bull**** a bicycle they tried
:: tweaking the engine and found out that they can get away with it. . .
:: most of the time.
::
:: Anyway, to my eye, he's always looked dopey with his hat on backward
:: in every photo I've seen.

Oh, so he's guilty just because you don't like the look of a guy with a hat
on backward? Geez...

Kenny wrote:
If Floyd took a lie detector test and passed would it make any
difference?

It would provide another data point. I'd like to see him do it, with
the test administered by a neutral party. If he was unwilling, that
would say a lot.

Art Harris

On 9 Aug 2006 13:55:54 -0700, "Art Harris" wrote:

Kenny wrote:
If Floyd took a lie detector test and passed would it make any
difference?

It would provide another data point. I'd like to see him do it, with
the test administered by a neutral party. If he was unwilling, that
would say a lot.

Art Harris

If he failed, it would say even more.