美國佛羅里達(dá)州一國際機(jī)場與英國倫敦國際機(jī)場近日爆出安檢丑聞，由于其安檢設(shè)施形同虛設(shè)，致使一軍火狂人從美 國走私了大量槍支進(jìn)英國。據(jù)悉，從美佛羅里達(dá)州圣弗德機(jī)場起飛至英國的所有航班，乘客及其行李都不用過安檢門，這使槍 支或毒品走私在這條航線上暢通無阻。

Shhh, keep this podcast a secret. Because new research points to a possible blind spot in airport security screening: it may be easier to sneak something dangerous past security–a box cutter, for example–by also including an obvious and innocuous banned object, like a water bottle, into the mix as a distraction.

Scientists recruited college students to find targets on a computer display. Their task: search for lines that formed a T amidst other non-T lines in 10 different experiments. Sometimes the Ts were easy to find, sometimes they were more hidden. When the easy and tough ones appeared with equal frequency, the students found both on the same screen.

When the easy T’s appeared two to three times more frequently, the students were more likely to miss the tough ones. But when the students were given extra time, lessening the pressure, they were more able to find both targets almost as quickly.

The study [Mathias Fleck et al., Journal of Experimental Psychology] suggests that actual professional screeners need to be just as vigilant in their attention after finding a first piece of contraband in a given bag. And keeping their stress levels as low as possible should help their performance.