New perspectives in assessing deception: The evolution of the truth machine

Abstract

In recent years a growing interest has arisen in the development of tools for the detection of deception. Since William M. Marston's first publication (1917) on the use of the polygraph as a lie detector, the application of this tool, commonly known as the truth machine, has evolved. Modern technologies are now trying to push the issue further, investigating brain activity during deception using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). The aim of this paper is to summarise the evolution of research from the original use of the polygraph to the use of new technologies in detecting deception, in order to provide an overview of the recent developments on the use of measurements of deception, and promote new research in this highly important domain of applied cognitive psychology.

Keywords:

• Deception
• Electroencephalograph
• Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Polygraph

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank Dr. Scott Fairhall for his accurate language revision.