Attempts at Lie Detection Based on Scientific Premises on the End of 19 Century and in the First Half of the 20 Century

Abstract

"In 1892, in the psychological conference, Hugo Mü nsterberg expressed the belief that it is not a lie that is detected, but the emotions that accompany it (Burtt 1965). The Word Association Test proves that the reactions accompanying a lie consist not only of emotions but also a certain intellectual effort, necessary on behalf of the lying person. It goes without saying and is supported by Trovillo (Trovillo 1938/39) that the fi rst to have described the essence of a test using word associations was Francis Galton (1822–1911) in 1879 (Galton 1879)."(...)