2016考研英語經濟學人：科學的測謊儀可能驚人的有用

考研英語來源：經濟學人 2015-07-30　

Polygraphs

測謊儀

Lies, damn lies

謊話連篇

Scientifically dodgy lie-detector tests may provesurprisingly useful

科學的測謊儀可能驚人的有用

POLYGRAPHS, or “lie detectors”, make frequentappearances on “The Jeremy Kyle Show”, a television programme that resembles nothing somuch as bear-baiting, but with humans. Guests are fond of the tests as a means of provingtheir loved ones' philandering ways, or their own innocence. Now the government seems to begrowing similarly keen.

測謊儀，經常出現在跟逗熊游戲差不多的“逗人節目”杰瑞米·凱爾脫口秀。嘉賓很喜歡用測試來檢測他們所愛慕的對象或者證明他們是否無辜。如今政府似乎也和這個節目一樣越發喜歡用測謊儀了。

In May a small number of probation officers began training as polygraph examiners. FromOctober around 1,000 sex offenders released from prison on licence in England and Wales butdeemed to be at high risk of reoffending will be required to undergo polygraph tests. Thechecks will help to determine whether offenders have breached the conditions of their licences,such as restrictions on visiting children's playgrounds. Failing a test will not result in a return toprison but could prompt closer supervision or surveillance.

在5月，一小部分緩刑監督官開始訓練使用測謊儀。自10月份約1000名性犯罪者從英格蘭和威爾士的監獄假釋，但那些被視為高犯罪風險者且將會被要求接受測謊儀測試。檢測將有助于鑒別罪犯是否違反了假釋的條件，如限制訪問兒童游樂場。沒有通過測試并不意味著要回到監獄，但意味著要受到更強監督或監視。

Polygraphs are used widely in America, including on sex offenders, but in Britain many remainsceptical. Polygraphs do not detect lies. They measure changes in physiology, such asbreathing rate, sweating and blood pressure. Telling lies is often stressful and can promptjumps in the readings. But other things–fear, embarrassment, worries about being wrongfullyaccused–can do the same. Enthusiasts say that polygraphs accurately detect lies 80-90% ofthe time. The British Psychological Society cites studies showing similar figures but cautions thatproblems in the research mean that the real rate is probably much lower. And “false positive”rates (dubbing a truthful person a liar) can be as high as 47%.

測謊儀在美國被廣泛使用，其中也會用在性犯罪者身上，但在英國很多人都對測謊儀持懷疑態度。測謊儀并不能檢測謊言。它們只是測量生理變化，例如呼吸頻率。但其它會引起恐懼的事物、尷尬、對誤判的焦慮也會在測謊儀上有相同的體現。熱心人稱測謊儀當時準確率可高達80%-90%。英國心理學會引用的研究得出了相似的數據，但同時也告誡我們實際成功率比這要低得多的問題。并且“假陽性”比率(誤指一個誠實的人撒謊)可以高達47%。

Boosters of the government's scheme say the point is that using polygraphs encourages sexoffenders to reveal more information, before, during and after the test. In a 2010-11 pilotstudy offenders who took polygraph tests made more than twice as many “clinically significantdisclosures”–information that could prompt changes in the way they are managed–as thosethat did not. Many said they would not have done so without undergoing the test. Jane Wood,a forensic psychologist at the University of Kent who co-authored the report on the pilot,says that some offenders found the tests helpful as way to convince their families they werebeing honest about their behaviour. Others said that the discussions prompted when they failedthe test helped them better to understand the conditions of their licence.

政府計劃的支持者稱使用測謊儀的核心目的是為了誘使性犯罪者在測試前后以及期間透露更多信息。在一個2010-11初步研究中，接受測謊儀測試的罪犯與沒有接受測試的罪犯相比，多做出了兩倍多的“臨床上的重要披露”，這些披露是促使他們改變的重要信息。很多罪犯稱若沒有接受測謊儀的測試，他們不會做出這么多的改變。肯特大學的法庭心理學家簡·伍德合著了一篇關于初步研究的報告，稱一些罪犯發現測試是說服他們家人自己言行可信的一個有效方式。其他人認為當罪犯沒有通過測試時，爭議就產生了，但這也幫助罪犯更好地了解他們假釋的條件。

Polygraph tests do not stand on their own, argues Don Grubin, a professor of forensicpsychiatry at Newcastle University who is leading the probation officers' training; they shouldbe one of a number of tools used to assess offenders. Nonetheless some remain uneasy.Those using the tests may become complacent, worries Anne-Marie McAlinden of Queen'sUniversity, Belfast, and give them undue weight. In the government's study, the more testsoffenders took, the fewer lies were flagged. That might indicate that they became moretruthful, or it might suggest that they were getting better at gaming the test.

測謊儀測試并不能獨立存在，紐卡斯爾大學的法醫精神病學教授，同時也帶頭進行緩刑監督官訓練的唐·格魯賓爭論道;測謊儀應該只是評估罪犯的眾多工具中的一個。盡管如此情況仍舊不易。貝爾法斯特皇后大學的安妮·瑪麗·麥卡林登擔心那些使用測試的人可能會變得自滿，然后因而過于依賴測謊儀。政府研究顯示，罪犯接受的測試越多，被標記的謊言越少。這或許可以說明罪犯變得越來越誠實，不過這也可能說明這些罪犯越來越會在測視力耍花招了。

The polygraph's power may rely on offenders' inflated belief in the accuracy of its tests. Butgetting more information from sex offenders about their behaviour–even on this basis–is still agood thing, suggests Professor Grubin. Instead of Mr Kyle, the government might look to “TheWire”, an American TV drama about murderous gangs, where detectives hooked suspects up tophotocopiers, claiming they were polygraphs.

測謊儀的能力依賴于罪犯過于相信測試的準確性。但是即使是以此為基礎從性犯罪者那里得到更多關于他們行為舉止的信息仍是一件好事。格魯賓教授如是說。與凱爾的脫口秀不同，政府似乎更傾向于美劇《火線》，這部美劇是關于警探們將兇殘的幫派嫌疑人連接上了類似影印機的工具，并宣稱這些是測謊儀。

【重點講解】

1.fond of 喜歡;愛好

例句:He seemed fond of her in a strictlyprofessional way.

他似乎只是出于職業緣故而喜歡她。

2.seem to 似乎

例句:I seem to fritter my time away at coffeemornings.

我似乎把時間全都浪費在咖啡早茶會上了。

3.require to 需要

例句:Drain piping may require to be protected against freezing.

泄水管要求有防凍保護措施。

4.return to 回到;返回