Liar
Liar Frontal Lobe on Fire
Lying to police could become a relic of the past
as lie detection technology advances. Researchers
from Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia
have improved upon the conventional lie detector,
or polygraph, by literally laying bare the criminal
mind.
The researchers used fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance
Imaging) to reveal which areas of the brain “light
up” while telling a lie. When lying a person’s
brain must actively work harder, especially in the frontal
lobe, than when they are telling the truth. This increased
brain activity is what the fMRI makes apparent.
In trial tests the method of fMRI lie detection proved
extremely reliable. Consistently, fourteen areas of the
brain were active when lying and only seven when telling
the truth.
Since it is significantly more difficult to alter one’s
own brain activation than it is to alter something like
the nervous symptoms measured by a traditional polygraph,
like breathing, perspiration and cardiovascular activity,
the fMRI could eventually be admissible in a court of law.
When
Marketing, Start Strong
A landmark study from the upcoming issue of the Journal
of Consumer Research may affect the way businesses market
themselves in the future.
The study looked at the impact of “leader-driven
primacy” on the decisions that consumers make when
choosing between competing products. The results suggest
that consumers will tend to prefer whichever product that
shows initial superiority, even if that product later goes
on to show signs of inferiority.
Important to note however, was that subjects who focused
more on the whole brand rather than just on its individual
characteristics tended to be more objective and less influenced
by any initial glamour.
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