“We’re going to need to be careful if, in the future, we use MRI brain scans as a measure of ability in any selection process.”
-Sandra Witelson
Can neuroscience read people’s minds? Some researchers, and some new businesses, are banking on a brain imaging technique known as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to reveal hidden thoughts, such as lies, truths or deep desires.
New research by neuroscientists at UCLA and Rutgers University provides evidence that fMRI can be used in certain circumstances to determine what a person is thinking. At the same time, the research suggests that highly accurate “mind reading” using fMRI is still far from reality. The research is scheduled to be published in the October 2009 issue of the journal Psychological Science.