Alternatives to the Polygraph?

Science journalist Sarah Scoles reports for the digital magazine Undark on the shortcomings of polygraphy and explores proposed alternative methods of lie detection based on eye movement, electroencepholography (EEG), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). AntiPolygraph.org co-founder George Maschke is among those interviewed for this article.

Comments 1

  • Just a minor point. I noticed that an Israeli who is marketing the eye detect “lie detector” is claiming to be a child prodigy rather than a Ph.D. Proving a fake Ph.D is easy; just ask Humble, Berg, and Baker. Someone who was a child prodigy is much harder to disprove. Part of the pseudo-science con is convincing buyers that the founders of the companies selling this garbage have serious academic and scientific credentials.
    I did not see anything about double blind tests proving the eye detect works at better than chance level. Therefore, it sounds like another lie detector con job. The best model I have seen is the University of Oklahoma Damphousse study with the drug users, which proved the CVSA has less than 50% accuracy.

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