Police and intelligence agencies around the world have, for almost 100 years, relied on polygraphs as lie detectors to help convict criminals or unearth spies and traitors. The polygraph is beloved of the movies, with countless dramatic moments showing the guilty sweating profusely as they are hooked up. But the invention could soon be defunct. Researchers in Britain and the Netherlands have made a breakthrough, developing a method with a success rate in tests of over 70% that could be in use in police stations around the world within a decade. Rather than relying on facial tics, talking too much or waving of arms – all seen as tell-tale signs of lying – the new method involves monitoring full-body motions to provide an indicator of signs of guilty feelings.
What does the new method of lie detection monitor that the polygraph does not?
Motions in the entire body Talking too much and arm waving Body responses to statements about events within a period of ten years Body temperature