Week 8: Literature Review

The literature reviews I have done in the past have been one specific source. I have gained so much experience throughout this course including being able to create a literature review on multiple works. The most difficult part of creating this review was being able to establish a flow that made sense. The description in the week 8 folder helped me with this obstacle by saying that similar research should be grouped together. These past eight weeks have given me a greater understanding of my topic. I think that the polygraph test that are in existence today cannot be considered accurate. Moving forward, since these exams are so questionable, completely new methods should be developed. The biggest question is "Is this possible?"

Week 7: Annotated Bibliography

To write my bibliography I used four of my previous resources. Because we needed to include four journals in total I found two new journal resources to use in my paper using the research skills I used in previous weeks. The two journals I used were Mental And Physical Countermeasures Reduce The Accuracy Of Polygraph Tests by Charles R. Honts, David C. Raskin, and John C. Kirche and Psychopathy, Threat, And Polygraph Test Accuracy by Christopher J. Patrick, and William G. Iacono. The first thing that makes me feel that these sources are credible is that I located them using the Leatherby Library database. Secondly, both of these journals are associated with the Journal Of Applied Psychology. I think it is pretty clear at this point with all the research that has been done that polygraph exams are not 100% accurate. When these tests are used in formal settings such as law enforcement and the judicial system they should be much more accurate to be in use. 

I think I finally have the answer to my research question: Are polygraph exams a proper evaluation, able to determine if an individual is telling the truth?

The following are the six resources I used in my bibliography:
 

Fienberg, Stephen E., and Paul C. Stern. "In Search of the Magic Lasso: The Truth About the Polygraph." Statistical Science Statist. Sci. 20.3 (2005): 249-60. Web.

Ginton, Avital. "'A Non-Standard Method For Estimating Accuracy Of Lie Detection Techniques Demonstrated On A Self-Validating Set Of Field Polygraph Examinations': Corrigendum." Psychology, Crime & Law 20.1 (2014): 100. PsycINFO. Web. 3 June 2016.  

Honts, Charles R., David C. Raskin, and John C. Kircher. "Mental And Physical Countermeasures Reduce The Accuracy Of Polygraph Tests." Journal Of Applied Psychology 79.2 (1994): 252-259. Business Source Premier. Web. 18 June 2016.

Lewis, Jerry A., and Michelle Cuppari. "The Polygraph: The Truth Lies Within." Journal Of Psychiatry & Law 37.1 (2009): 85-92. PsycINFO. Web. 28 May 2016.

Matté, James Allan. Forensic Psychophysiology Using the Polygraph: Scientific Truth Verification, Lie Detection: 2002 Supplement. Williamsville, NY: J.A.M. Publications, 2002. Print.

Patrick, Christopher J., and William G. Iacono. "Psychopathy, Threat, And Polygraph Test Accuracy." Journal Of Applied Psychology 74.2 (1989): 347. Business Source Premier. Web. 20 June 2016.

Week 6: Academic Integrity

This week we studied academic integrity, plagiarism, intellectual property and alternatives to traditional copyright practices. It is extremely important to maintain academic integrity throughout your college career. I have always felt that the aspects of academic integrity and plagiarism have been pretty straight forward. My biggest fear is to plagiarize work without meaning to. Though I have at times had minor issues with understanding when and where to cite my sources within research and assignments, I have trusted that as long as I maintained honest intentions my professors and advisors would understand and communicate with me if there were any issues. It is very beneficial to continue to review institutional guidelines periodically to refresh your understanding and to reduce your risk of plagiarizing. Because of that, I greatly appreciate weeks like this one where multiple resources about academic integrity and plagiarism were made available to the class to review and discuss. These guidelines and resources are great to keep in mind throughout not only our college careers but our professional lives as well.

Week 5: Finding Peer-Reviewed Articles

This week I was able to find an article that directly answered my research question. A non-standard method for estimating accuracy of lie detection techniques demonstrated on a self-validating set of field polygraph examinations by A Ginton. This article reassured me of my research question. I have developed many different research skills I did not have before through this course. Every week we have to look up a different type of resource which helps us develop skills that we can use towards future courses and careers. Before, I would have been extremely uncomfortable trying to find a book as a reference to a particular subject. Now it would be simple for me to locate a book, an article, or even a peer-reviewed article. I am looking forward to developing more skills that I can use outside this class in the next three weeks.

Week Four: Finding Articles

I was fairly confident going into this week’s assignment, as most of the references I use tend to be articles. I had a lot more difficulty that I anticipated. I used Leatherby Library to find an article. I browsed through many links before finding The polygraph: The truth lies within. By Jerry A. Lewis and Michelle Cuppari. Through the knowledge I have gained so far from this course I have found it much easier to evaluate resources without as much effort. Using the CRAAP test is extremely helpful. The article I evaluated this week gave me a different perspective on polygraphs. Lewis and Cuppari spoke about how they are used in a law enforcement setting. More importantly they spoke about the pretest interview. They said this was the most important part of the polygraph exam and after finishing the article myself I concur. I think it is very beneficial to be able to see how polygraphs are used in the real world and how they are evaluated in those settings. It is important to evaluate first hand experience with these tests and these individual opinions towards their accuracy. Moving forward I would like to find more information pertaining to the different areas polygraphs are used in today’s world and hopefully find more first hand experiences. 

Week 3: Finding Books

There are many perks to online classes. One of the greatest things is that I can completely create my own schedule and in a sense learn at my own pace. With most positives there are also a few negatives. One of the biggest struggles with online courses is finding research materials, especially books. You tend to come to many dead in searches. You might not have enough time to ship a book to yourself or the ebook tends to be too costly for justification. I got lucky this week. When reading through the prompt for our assignment the first thing that caught my eye was books.google.com. I am usually against using Google for research but as Google Scholar has been a good tool for me at times I decided to try it. I used the search term “polygraph” as to not be too specific so I could get an array of different options to choose from. I came across a book that was fully available online for free! Forensic Psychophysiology Using the Polygraph: Scientific Truth Verification, Lie Detection by James Allan Matte. This book provided me with an abundance of information regarding polygraph exams and how they work. It discussed how various situations can affect the test and when these test are used. Moving forward with my research I would like to find more articles, journals, or books specifically discussing the accuracy behind these exams.

Week 2: Research

I wanted to find a topic that closely related to the career I would like to explore. So earlier in the week I conducted a Google search using the terms "forensic psychology research topics." I came across an article that discussed different topics that forensic psychologists research and deal with on a daily basis. One of those topics was polygraph tests. I remember discussing polygraph exams in my first year of college and thought they were an interesting topic of conversation. One thing I learned from the research I have done this week, is that most psychologists do not back up the validity of polygraph exams. This is an important bit of information towards my topic. Are these tests accurate? When and where can they be used? These are questions I would like to research further and use to help me develop a better understanding of these tests.

Through week two's assignment I was able to learn how to better search for and evaluate sources for validity and credibility. Not only can this task seem daunting, but it also consists of quite a few steps and a lot of questions. The CRAAP method posted withing week two was a very helpful tool. I think many students do not take this step in their research very seriously. It is extremely important to have valid resources. If your sources are not credible that in turn affects your own credibility.