Mr. Herndon. Upon assignment to the FBI laboratory I underwent an intensive 6-months training program under a doctor, Ph. D. in psychology, who was a special agent polygraph examiner assigned to the New York office.
I also received considerable training from other special agents in the FBI laboratory who had graduate work in physiology and law.
After completion of 6 months’ intensive training, I was declared qualified to handle polygraph examinations for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Mr. Specter. And approximately how many polygraphic examinations have you conducted during your service with the Federal Bureau of Investigation?
Mr. Herndon. I have either given, supervised, or reviewed several thousand polygraph examinations.
Mr. Specter. Would you outline briefly just what the polygraph machine is, and how it functions?
Mr. Herndon. The polygraph instrument, of course, is commonly known to the public as the lie detector. In fact it is not such a device. The polygraph is simply an instrument which is designed to record certain physiological responses under stimuli in a carefully controlled interrogation. These physiological responses may accompany and indicate deception. It is used primarily as an investigative aid by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Mr. Specter. From what does the machine derive its name “polygraph”?
Mr. Herndon. The name polygraph is derived from the Greek derivative, poly meaning many, graph meaning writings and the actual polygraph chart will portray several writings indicating physiological responses of the examinee.
Mr. Specter. How many writings are there specifically which are made by the polygraph instrument?