NCJ Number
109248
Journal
Polygraph Volume: 16 Issue: 1 Dated: (1987) Pages: 18-32
Date Published
1987
Length
15 pages
Annotation
The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes of persons who had taken preemployment polygraph tests toward those tests and to examine the relationship between attitudes and examine characteristics.
Abstract
Between 3 and 16 weeks following voluntary agreement with a prospective employer to take a preemployment polygraph examination, a consecutive sample of 596 job applicants was mailed a 10-item questionnaire. The questionnaire included attitudinal items as well as questions about the disposition of the job application. Anonymous responses were received from 218 (40 percent) persons. Analysis of the data showed that more than 70 percent of the respondents did not believe polygraph testing to be unfair, offensive, objectionable, or an invasion of personal privacy. Respondents' views were generally not statistically related to gender, race, or age but were related to admissions of involvement in theft from employers, use of drugs on the job, commission of crimes and the outcome of the examination; those who met employer-set standards were statistically more likely to have favorable views than those who did not. Analysis of the disposition of the job application showed that 6 percent of those persons who had a 'favorable' polygraph outcome were not hired whereas 24 percent of those with an 'unfavorable' polygraph outcome were hired. (Author abstract)