THE INFLUENCE OF FMRI LIE DETECTION EVIDENCE ON JURY DECISION MAKING FOLLOWING POST-TRIAL DELIBERATIONS

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a technology that is used to study the function of the brain. It has been suggested that fMRI could be utilised as a lie detection device. However, many believe that the admittance of fMRI lie detection evidence into the courtroom would be premature, as it is feared that the evidence could have a very persuasive effect on jurors. The current study assessed the veracity of these beliefs and explored whether this effect is more prominent amongst juries or individual jurors. Individual verdicts were found to differ from group verdicts. Yet both on an individual and a collaborative basis, jurors favoured acquittal when presented with fMRI evidence, compared to other forms of lie detection evidence.