C00036554
above, though the Axelrod analysis did not address explicitly the cry-wolf syndrome.
Maxim 4; Jones' Lemma
| “ | Deception becomes more difficult as the number of channels of information available to the victim increases. However, within limits, the greater the number of controlled channels the greater the likelihood of the deception being believed. | ” |
This maxim is christened "Jones' Lenuna" because it has been best and oft-articulated by Professor R. V. Jones, one of the key figures in British scientific intelligence during World War II. Jones' remarks (35) further illustrate the idea:
| “ | The ease of detecting counterfeits is much greater when different channels of examination are used
simultaneously. This is why telephonic hoaxes are so easy — there is no accompanying visual appearance to be counterfeited. Metal strips were most successful when only radar, and that of one frequency, was employed. Conversely, the most successful naval mines were those which would only detonate when several different kinds of signal, magnetic, hydrodynamic, and acoustic, were received simultaneously. A decoy which simulates all these signals is getting very like a ship. From these considerations, incidentally, we can draw a rather important conclusion about the detection of targets in defense and attack: that as many different physical means of detection as |
” |
