RE: Brain fingerprinting

[Richard D. Platt]

I have used this case in class as an interesting way to talk about the differences between science and pseudoscience.  I like this example because I talk about science and pseudoscience as a continuum and this falls somewhere in the middle (although I think I would put closer to the pseudoscience end of the continuum).  However in support of Farwell, he appears to have good credentials regarding his grad school training in ERP research and there is a research paradigm sometimes called the “guilty knowledge test” that looks something like what he is advocating.  Bashore and Rapp (1993) had subjects learn a list of words, tested their memory for the list of words with a recognition test, and then presented the recognition test again but told them to conceal the fact that they had seen some of the words before.  In the concealment phase of the study, although they didn’t respond behaviorally to the “old” items, the exhibited a P300 wave in the ERPs that only occurred for the “old.” items.  However, it is a far stretch from word lists to court cases and, although I haven’t looked recently, his track record the last time I looked was based on a very small number of cases (There is also the problem of determining what constitutes a success—with the exception of a confession or exonerating evidence how do you determine that he has accurately determined guilt or innocence).  In addition, the studies that he cites as evidence for his technique appear to be of fairly poor quality and not really directly assessing whether the technique can be used to detect the person who committed a crime.   Another angle that usually produces interesting discussion is asking whether other beliefs that the person might have should influence our judgments about the person as an expert.  At his website on a page that gives some biographical information about Farwell it says “Dr. Farwell has conducted and published scientific research demonstrating the direct effect of human consciousness on matter at the quantum-mechanical level. This research helps to explain the fundamental mechanism through which humans use their brains and interact with the environment and demonstrates that human abilities to influence nature, heretofore thought to be impossible, are indeed within the reach of human life and within the realm of scientific investigation. In addition to dozens of articles in scientific journals, Dr. Farwell has written a book entitled How Consciousness Commands Matter: The New Scientific Revolution and the Evidence that Anything Is Possible (Sun Star Press, 2001). “ I think it is an interesting case and provides a lot of fodder for discussion.  The website is full of information so you could have students explore it and see what they find.   Richard Platt St. Mary’s College of Maryland   -----Original Message----- From: Paul Smith [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2004 8:53 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences Subject: RE: Brain fingerprinting   Try this:   http://www.brainwavescience.com/JourForensicScience.php       The catchy name (and the fact that the case is in Oklahoma...) make this sound like crackpot science, but it looks like it might be something worth reserving judgment on for now.   Eagerly awaiting more knowledgable responses, Paul Smith Alverno College Milwaukee -----Original Message----- From: Jodi Gabert [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2004 7:42 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences Subject: Brain fingerprinting Good Morning All,   The BBC reports today that a technique known as "Brain Fingerprinting" is going to be allowed in a death penalty case in Oklahoma.  The inventor, a Dr. Farwell, says he has had some tests report 100% reliability in determining whether or not someone is telling the truth or not. I'd like to give my students the facts on this.  Anyone have background on Dr. Farwell and/or the technique? Thanks much,   Jodi [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]