Lie Detection MachinesSome researchers hope to replace the polygraph with accurate machines that measure changes in blood flow in the brain and the face. As the top panel shows, some areas of the brain are more active when people tell lies than when they tell the truth (shown in red), and some are more active when people tell the truth than when they tell lies (shown in blue) (Langleben et al., 2005). The bottom panel shows images taken by a thermal camera that detects the heat caused by blood flow to different parts of the face. The images show a person’s face before (left) and after (right) telling a lie (Pavlidis, Eberhardt, & Levine, 2002). Although neither of these new techniques is extremely accurate, that could soon change.

LANGLEBEN, D. D., LOUGHEAD, J. W., BILKER, W. B., RUPAREL, K., CHILDRESS, A. R., BUSCH, S. I., GUR, R. C. (2005). TELLING TRUTH FROM LIE IN INDIVIDUAL SUBJECTSWITH FAST EVENT-RELATED FMRI. HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, 26, PP. 262–272. COURTESY OF DANIEL LANGLEBEN and COURTESY OF IOANNIS PAVLIDIS.(PAVLIDIS,EBERHARDT, AND LEVINE, 2002. SEEING THROUGH THE FACE OF DECEPTION).