By — Dianna Flores
In an effort to further students’ skills in analyzing and detecting lies, NE Campus will host Lying: Using Nonverbal as Lie Detectors Oct. 27.
NE speech instructor Amber Meyers will present some of the techniques and behaviors that can be studied when trying to spot a lie. Through her presentation, students can learn some of the ways the brain can be trained to catch errors as a lie detecting machine would. Her session will be a small interactive class about the theories and examples that will help students become more skilled.
NE forensics director Dan Schabot said everyone wants to be the person who “beats” the lie detector. The lie detector machine measures heart rate and blood pressure among many other things to determine whether a person is being dishonest.
“Just like the machine, it’s important to establish a baseline of what is normal so that, with training, you can spot when things leak out,” he said.
Meyers will illustrate ways in which anyone can become a human lie detector. She wants students to be aware of other people’s behavior so they won’t get taken advantage of. Meyers also believes detecting lies is a good skill when students enter the workforce.
Meyers has taught at several institutions and now teaches Business and Professional Communications on NE Campus. She was previously a middle school vice principal and has been a foster parent to 34 teenagers, which made her “more skilled at detecting lies,” she said.
The event will be 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the Heritage Room (NLIB 1129A).
