(1938). Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 7:400-403 The Lie Detector Test: By William M. Marston. New York: Richard R. Smith, 1938. 179 pp. Review by: William Healy One is of two minds in offering an appraisal of this book by Marston: whether mainly to emphasize the unquestionable fact that in its presentation of dramatic cases and with its insistence on the provable value of lie detection tests in many fields it does carry its theme convincingly, or whether to be vigorously critical of the journalistic tone which is applied to highly important matters in the management of human beings. However it must be confessed that the book, just because of the manner in which it is written, is likely to attract a vastly greater number of readers than is the thoroughly scientific presentation of the same subject by John A. Larson (Lying and Its Detection, a Study of Deception and Deception Tests, University of Chicago Press, 1932). Is it because Marston has taken to contributing popularized psychology to syndicated newspaper columns that he believes in such a production, or is the New York Daily News writer to whom Marston makes prefatory thanks larg [This is a summary or excerpt from the full text of the book or article. The full text of the document is available to subscribers.] |
