POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Grass 7D Polygraph machine

Object No. 2008/184/1

The Grass 7D Polygraph machine was used by Macquarie University researchers in the 1980s and 90s for research into a learning process called Associative Learning, in which discrete ideas and precepts become linked to one another and associations are formed between stimuli and reactions. It was never used as a lie detector but was used to record skin conductance response (SCR), evoked cardiac response, reaction times (RT), respiratory response, and orienting response. Polygraph machines have become part of popular culture, particularly through North American television shows and movies about crime and the legal system. The lie detector machine, as it is commonly referred to in popular culture, is not commonly used in the Australian legal system. There is yet to be a ruling from the High Court of Australia on the admissibility of evidence from polygraphs, and it is unlikely that their use will be held admissible in Australian criminal courts. Nevertheless, there are private companies in Australia providing polygraph services for use in lie detection. Australian tabloid style current affairs television shows often engage the services of such companies, thus fortifying the polygraph's place in popular culture. This polygraph machine was used for research at the Macquarie University's psychology department, and many published articles resulted from the machine's use. The machine is redundant, though it is still operable. Damian McDonald July 2008