P300 returns to Iceland

Reykjavik 24.07.2017

by Neurophysiology Plus

The P300 (P3) wave is an event related potential (ERP) component elicited in the process of decision making.

Since the mid-1980s, one of the most discussed uses of ERPs such as the P300 is related to lie detection. In a proposed "guilty knowledge test" (Farwell & Smith, 2001) a subject is interrogated via the oddball paradigm much as they would be in a typical lie-detector situation. This practice has recently enjoyed increased legal permissibility while conventional polygraphy has seen its use diminish, in part owing to the unconscious and uncontrollable aspects of the P300.

Photo: Aron Dalin Jónasson