Terrorism and Brain Imaging
It may sound like science fiction, but researchers at Northwestern say they can use EEG (a type of brain wave imaging) to “read” a potential terrorist’s mind and uncover details of a terrorist plot. I’m having trouble deciding if this is a promising step forward in the fight against terrorism, or an invasion of the one of the last places we can truly claim privacy–our brains. Plus, the potential for misreading the brain makes me nervous. Anyone else?
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Tags: brain imaging, eeg, mind-reading, Northwestern University, privacy, terrorism, terrorist
Posted: Neuroscience, Odds and Ends, Research studies
Posted: Neuroscience, Odds and Ends, Research studies
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August 23rd, 2010 at 10:39 am
the experimental conditions in the paper from Northwestern are extremely artificial. for example, the subjects cooperate by pressing certain buttons at certain times; they respond to questions (which the scientists put to them in order to distract them from using “counter-measures.”)
like most scientists, the NW scientists are “looking for the quarter under the streetlight” – they do experiments in artifical conditions – because that is how they have the chance to actually see something.
its easy to get excited (or worried) about potential real-world applications but it seems waaaaaaaay premature.
August 30th, 2010 at 11:55 am
Excellent points!