Bending the Third Rail
Because We Should, We Can, We Do
Thursday, August 17, 2006
NLP
Have you heard this one?
The NYT fronts a government test program in which airport screeners have focused on passengers' reaction to questions (just as Israel famously does). Two experts who've helped develop the approach say they're happy the government is trying it out but say the implementation has been flawed.
This type of lie detection is often based on neuro-linguistic programming, a psychological theory with a dubious history. The techniques used in lie detection are based on certain behavioral traits a person exhibits when lying. Know those behaviors, identify them in a subject, and you know they're lying.

Except. If it works (and that's a big if), it requires a level of training that is likely well beyond the average TSA worker. If they are able to pick out liars better than 50% of the time, I would be quite surprised. But hey, some psychologist somewhere is making a pocket full of dough from selling it to the Bush non-administration.
Written at 9:22 AM by Greyhair.
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