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Ten Minute Test Could Spot Killers Before They Kill
from the mind-patrol... dept
Here's one more step towards the thought police. Some researchers have developed a ten minute test that they think can spot psychopaths who have a tendency to become serial killers. The article describes how the test works: by looking at response times to images that may convey conflicting emotions about violence. However, I wonder what happens when someone who has committed no crime takes this test and is determined to be a psychopath. What do you do at that point? Do you lock up someone who has done nothing wrong?
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Sundiver
Without reading the article, your description sounds remarkably like a device in David Brin's SF novel "Sundiver". People were tested by tracking their eye movement and metabolic responses to various images. Looking for people with violent or criminal tendencies. If flagged by the test, they'd be placed on either "temporary probation" or "permanent probation" and be subject to police monitoring, etc.
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Re: Sundiver
Also without reading the article it sounds more like Philip K. Dick's novel or the movie "Minority Report," where base on the premonition of Moe, Larry, and Curly individuals are arrested based on crimes they will commit at some future date.
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quick fix
It seems like an attempt at a quick fix...
If this thing is shown to be even mildly accurate, you just know the mob mentality/lowest common denominator will just love it...forget about committing a crime, this will be used as proof that you will commit one...and will be judged the same thing.
We'll start having blacklists again...
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No Subject Given
or say from the movie blade runner?
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Univeral Constant
I think what you'll find in a society like that is that all the Real Serial Killers(tm) are the ones who are good a taking the test.
Kinda' reminds me of when I used to work the retail counter at a mall camera shop. I had to take a "screening test" to get the job... only thing was you had to be a total kleptomanic moron to get flagged by the test. Dishonest co-workers who *did* steal from the company were far more intelligent and sneaker than that. Of course those of us who realized that the 50% store authroized discount program for employees was a far easier/less risky way to make money (buy at half price and sell for 75% of retail)... and that's why the employee discount program was there (after all, who can live off of minimum wage plus 10% comission).
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