You ever get that feeling that someone's lying? Perhaps you've asked a question to a colleague and before answering, she shift her glance. Well, there may be something to your instinct. And now a computer camera and tracking software is able to turn instinct into hard-line lie-detecting.
Scientists at the University of Utah have developed technology that -- unlike a polygraph, which detects a person's physiological response when lying -- records minute eye movement such as pupil dilation to measure a person's cognitive reaction.
The recording takes place while a subject answers a series of written true and false questions. During the session, the camera also records other variables, including the time it takes to respond to a question, how long it takes a subject to read or even reread a question and how many errors are made.
These variables and reactions, which are subtle, can indicate lying.
"We have gotten great results from our experiments," educational psychologist John Kircher said in this press release. "They are as good as or better than the polygraph, and we are still in the early stages of this innovative new method to determine if someone is trying to deceive you."
The researchers say their lie-detecting system has a few advantages over polygraph including cheaper cost and a much shorter time for examinations.
Kircher and his colleagues recently licensed the technology to Park City, UT-based Credibility Assessment Technologies. They hope the method will be adopted by government agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection.
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Tags: Inventions
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