"Lie detector". Truth or lie. How we are deceived by the "Lie Detector"

What does the hero have in common with the popular television program, accused of murder and a candidate for a high official post? All of them can be checked on the lie detector.

Technology, which makes it possible to separate the truth from lies, began to be used about a century ago. During this time, the detector was significantly improved, and was actively used in all TV shows around the world. Participants were tested on a lie detector and allowed to humiliate themselves in front of a multi-million audience in the hope of winning a large sum of money.

The problem of the lie detector is already visible by name. It implies that the machine somehow knows what the truth looks like and can catch the slightest signs of its inconsistency. Of course, nothing like this can do. It simply measures a number of physical responses of the body, which can mean that a person is telling a lie.

Scientific experiments have shown that the detector really often quite often can determine where the truth is, and where it is not. But he is still very far from accuracy and reliability. In 2003, the matter was carefully studied by the National Academy of Sciences (USA) and concluded that it is possible to detect a lie a little more accurately than a method of tossing a coin. And if the error of the machine is so high, then what's the point in it then?

There are many factors that can affect the accuracy of the test result - from the personality and physical state of the person being tested to the manner of the operator to ask questions and skills to interpret the results. In addition, there are many tricks that can deceive the technique.

So, in a certain sense, the detector is worse than a thrown coin. With a coin, you at least know that the result is just an accident. A car causes false confidence