Will a New Lie Detection Method Used at Airports Keep Passengers Safer?
By Russ Warner, VP Marketing –
I recently read about a new airport security screening method that uses conversation to detect deception. It claims to be 20 times more successful as the former method.
The new-and-improved screening method uses conversation cues to catch airline passengers with deceptive cover stories.
How Accurate is the lie detection method?
When I read the headline on this article, I knew I had to read it. Yes, I was caught up in the hype at the moment, but then my hopes were quickly dashed.
I was disappointed at this new lie detection’s overall accuracy rate of 66 percent. That’s only slightly higher than chance, i.e., flipping a coin.
It’s sad to think that 66 percent is 20 times better than what they had before. In fact, it’s downright pathetic.
From Observation to Conversation
The current screening method focuses on observation of suspicious behaviors and is used in many airports in the U.S., U.K. and other countries — despite being proven ineffective in the lab and in real-life settings.
“The suspicious-signs method almost completely fails in detecting deception,” said researcher Thomas Ormerod, Ph.D., head of the School of Psychology at the University of Sussex in England. “In addition, it costs a lot of money, absorbs a lot of time, and gives people a false sense of security.”
Use Despite Reason
Ormerod continued to say that even though it isn’t effective, the suspicious-signs method is used frequently because it’s cheap to train and it seems to match what most people believe about how to detect deception.
There’s no such thing as a perfect lie detector available. However, EyeDetect™ has shown to be the most accurate lie detector for pre-screening job candidates and for periodically screening current employees. With accuracy rates at 85 percent, EyeDetect is the best lie detector to emerge in the past 90 years.