New Jersey State Police Det. Sgt Micciulla and Det. Fleming visited Mrs. Laporte's 7th grade Science class to discuss how science is used in their jobs through the polygraph machine. The Detectives explained the history and the science behind polygraph machines, human body language changes when someone lies, and the physiology behind those changes. A student volunteer was hooked up to the polygraph machine and was told to pick a number and then lie about what number they picked. Det. Fleming asked some baseline questions and tried to gauge if the student was deceitful. Students were able to view the results and were amazed by how precise the machine results were.
The polygraph machine picks up any changes in sweat on the subject's fingers as well as changes in blood pressure. Although the student tried her best at being dishonest, the polygraph caught her in a lie! Mrs. Laporte's class is thankful to the Troopers for donating their time and demonstrating how Science is used in their careers!
