Some Employers Use Lie Detector Tests to Screen Job Applicants

question 11

Multiple Choice

Some employers use lie detector tests to screen job applicants. Lie detector tests are not completely reliable. Suppose that in a lie detector test, 65% of lies are identified as lies and that 14% of true statements are also identified as lies. A company gives its job applicants a
Polygraph test, asking "Did you tell the truth on your job application?". Suppose that 93% of
The job applicants tell the truth during the polygraph test. What is the probability that a person
Who fails the test was actually telling the truth?

• A) 0.349
• B) 0.14
• C) 0.741
• D) 0.259

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Definitions:

Unconscious Motivation

Drives and desires that are not readily accessible to the conscious mind but influence behaviors and emotions.

Cognitive Processes

Mental activities involved in acquiring, storing, retrieving, and using information, including perception, memory, reasoning, and problem solving.

Learning

The process of acquiring new, or modifying existing, knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, or preferences through study, experience, or teaching.

Instinct

is an innate, typically fixed pattern of behavior in animals in response to certain stimuli.