Final answer:
Nervousness during a lie detection test like Duncan's does not concretely indicate dishonesty, as increased physiological arousal can stem from many sources, not just lying. Polygraph tests are not reliable indicators of lying because there is no unique physiological pattern associated with deception.option b is true.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question revolves around whether Duncan's nervousness during a lie detection test indicates that he is lying. Neurons and Neurotransmitters suggest that physiological arousal, associated with increased heart rate, respiration rate, and sweating, occurs during strong emotional responses. However, assuming that such physiological arousal is a reliable indicator of deception is problematic. Lie detector tests, or polygraphs, measure these physiological responses to determine if someone is lying, but the accuracy of polygraphs is highly questionable. This is because there is no specific physiological arousal pattern linked exclusively to lying, as suggested by Saxe & Ben-Shakhar (1999). Nervousness can be caused by various non-deceptive factors, such as anxiety, stress, or fear of being disbelieved even when telling the truth.
Therefore, the correct answer to whether Duncan's nervousness indicates that he is lying is option b) No, nervousness can be caused by various factors, not just lying. There might be misleading interpretations due to Duncan's nervousness; for example, a nervous person might show signs of physiological arousal during a polygraph test without being dishonest. It is important to consider multiple factors that can cause similar physiological responses to avoid bias and erroneous conclusions.