Abstract: An example of a distributed discernment system including a discernment server and a communications interface permitting bi-directional communications to and from the discernment server; and a plurality of human interface devices, each including a speaker, a microphone, a processor running a local processing program, and a system interface permitting bi-directional communications between the human interface device and the discernment server, where the diagnostic program running on the discernment server is adapted to generate interview instructions provided to the interface devices and the interface devices are adapted receive interview instructions from the discernment server, present a verbal question to a human interviewee; receive and process sensor data from the microphone to determine whether the microphone sensor data corresponds to a complete human voice response to the presented verbal question.