Clinical judgment and decision-making in CQT-polygraphy. A comparison with other pseudoscientific applications in...

The control questions technique (CQT) is the most widely used method of psychophysiological detection, in spite of its questionable scientific status and the lack of sufficient empirical basis. The goal of this paper is to account for the tremendous popularity of the CQT, and to present a theory describing how decisions and conclusions are reached within the typical CQT-interrogation process. It is claimed that the examiner starts with an a priori hypothesis derived from background information and from prior interactions with the examinee. The test-specific information is then used to test the a priori hypothesis, but this process is influenced by the confirmation bias. The complexity of the information available to the examiner coupled with the lack of well-defined quantification and integration rules allow the examiner to overweigh confirming evidence and to disregard disconfirming cues. This description may be applicable to several other pseudoscientific methods. The implications of the present theory for CQT polygraphy are discussed and comparisons with other purported applications of psychology are made.