10-10-2009, 02:59 PM
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Brain Fingerprinting is a controversial forensic science technique that determines whether specific information is stored in a subjectâ„¢s brain by measuring electrical brainwave responses to words phrases, or pictures that are presented on a computer screen (Farwell & Smith 2001). Brain fingerprinting was invented by Lawrence Farwell. The theory is that the brain processes known, relevant information differently from the way it processes unknown or irrelevant information (Farwell & Donchin 91). The brainâ„¢s processing of known information, such as the details of a crime stored in the brain, is revealed by a specific pattern in the EEG (electroencephalograph) (Farwell & Smith 2001, Farwell 94). Farwellâ„¢s brain fingerprinting originally used the well known P300 brain response to detect the brainâ„¢s recognition of the known information (Farwell & Donchin 86, 91; Farwell 95a). Later Farwell discovered the MERMER ("Memory and Encoding Related Multifaceted Electroencephalographic Response"), which includes the P300 and additional features and is reported to provide a higher level of accuracy than the P300 alone (Farwell & Smith 2001, Farwell 94, Farwell 95b). In peer-reviewed publications Farwell and colleagues report over 99% accuracy in laboratory research (Farwell & Donchin 91, Farwell & Richardson 2006) and real-life field applications (Farwell & Smith 2001, Farwell et al. 2006). In independent research William Iacono and others who followed identical or similar scientific protocols to Farwellâ„¢s have reported a similar high level of accuracy (e.g., Allen & Iacono 97).
Brain fingerprinting has been applied in a number of high-profile criminal cases, including helping to catch serial killer JB Grinder (Dalbey 99) and to exonerate innocent convict Terry Harrington after he had been falsely convicted of murder (Harrington v. State). Brain fingerprinting has been ruled admissible in court (Harrington v. State, Farwell & Makeig 2005). In the controversial Sister Abhaya murder case, the Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate court had asked the Central Bureau of Investigation to make use of all modern investigation techniques, including brain fingerprinting
Brain fingerprinting technique has been criticized on a number of fronts (Fox 2006b, Abdollah 2003). Although independent scientists who have used the same or similar methods as Farwellâ„¢s brain fingerprinting have achieved similar, highly accurate results (Allen & Iacono 97; see also Harrington v. State), different methods have yielded different results. J. Peter Rosenfeld used P300-based tests incorporating fundamentally different methods, resulting in as low as chance accuracy (Rosenfeld et al. 2004) as well as susceptibility to countermeasures, and criticized brain fingerprinting based on the premise that the shortcomings of his alternative technique should generalize to all other techniques in which the P300 is among the brain responses measured, including brain fingerprinting.
and more
on http://en.wikipediawiki/Brain_fingerprinting
[attachment=96]
Brain Fingerprinting is a controversial forensic science technique that determines whether specific information is stored in a subjectâ„¢s brain by measuring electrical brainwave responses to words phrases, or pictures that are presented on a computer screen (Farwell & Smith 2001). Brain fingerprinting was invented by Lawrence Farwell. The theory is that the brain processes known, relevant information differently from the way it processes unknown or irrelevant information (Farwell & Donchin 91). The brainâ„¢s processing of known information, such as the details of a crime stored in the brain, is revealed by a specific pattern in the EEG (electroencephalograph) (Farwell & Smith 2001, Farwell 94). Farwellâ„¢s brain fingerprinting originally used the well known P300 brain response to detect the brainâ„¢s recognition of the known information (Farwell & Donchin 86, 91; Farwell 95a). Later Farwell discovered the MERMER ("Memory and Encoding Related Multifaceted Electroencephalographic Response"), which includes the P300 and additional features and is reported to provide a higher level of accuracy than the P300 alone (Farwell & Smith 2001, Farwell 94, Farwell 95b). In peer-reviewed publications Farwell and colleagues report over 99% accuracy in laboratory research (Farwell & Donchin 91, Farwell & Richardson 2006) and real-life field applications (Farwell & Smith 2001, Farwell et al. 2006). In independent research William Iacono and others who followed identical or similar scientific protocols to Farwellâ„¢s have reported a similar high level of accuracy (e.g., Allen & Iacono 97).
Brain fingerprinting has been applied in a number of high-profile criminal cases, including helping to catch serial killer JB Grinder (Dalbey 99) and to exonerate innocent convict Terry Harrington after he had been falsely convicted of murder (Harrington v. State). Brain fingerprinting has been ruled admissible in court (Harrington v. State, Farwell & Makeig 2005). In the controversial Sister Abhaya murder case, the Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate court had asked the Central Bureau of Investigation to make use of all modern investigation techniques, including brain fingerprinting
Brain fingerprinting technique has been criticized on a number of fronts (Fox 2006b, Abdollah 2003). Although independent scientists who have used the same or similar methods as Farwellâ„¢s brain fingerprinting have achieved similar, highly accurate results (Allen & Iacono 97; see also Harrington v. State), different methods have yielded different results. J. Peter Rosenfeld used P300-based tests incorporating fundamentally different methods, resulting in as low as chance accuracy (Rosenfeld et al. 2004) as well as susceptibility to countermeasures, and criticized brain fingerprinting based on the premise that the shortcomings of his alternative technique should generalize to all other techniques in which the P300 is among the brain responses measured, including brain fingerprinting.
and more
on http://en.wikipediawiki/Brain_fingerprinting
