EEG lie detection evidence and potential Australian jurors

Electroencephalogram (EEG) lie detection is a proposed method of determining criminal culpability, though it is currently unknown how this method will impact juror decisions. The present study investigated the persuasiveness of EEG lie detection with potential Australian jurors. Through a vignette-based experiment, participants (N = 421) were required to make juror-based decisions (i.e. guilty, not guilty and unsure) on a 1989 U.S. trial involving the brutal murder of a young woman. Participants read about forensic evidence (blood, shoeprint and fibre analysis) presented at the 1989 trial that led to the suspect’s conviction. Half of the participants also read about an EEG lie detection test conducted 11 years post-conviction that indicated the convicted man was innocent. Chi-square analysis showed the EEG information significantly affected determinations of guilt. Guilty verdicts were made by 41% of participants who did not read the EEG evidence. However, only 27% of participants who read the EEG evidence voted guilty. The implications of implementing EEG lie detection are discussed.