[Lie detection and mind reading: is there a use for fMRI?: A critical survey and reflection]

Abstract

Great efforts have been made in recent years to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in the context of lie detection. In the present paper the pros and cons of such an approach are analyzed and critically discussed.Both epistemological and methodical considerations have shown that all attempts to derive mental states from fMRI findings ("reverse inference") are not valid. Consequently, fMRI scans cannot reveal a person's thoughts and whether (s)he is lying or telling the truth.