Breathe, relax and remember: An investigation into how focused breathing can improve identification of EvoFIT facial composites

Abstract

Accurate identification of criminal suspects by witnesses is vital for police investigations. Methods such as Cognitive Interviewing techniques have been employed for this reason to enhance witness recall. In the current project, we demonstrate the benefit of including a focused breathing exercise during face construction using the EvoFIT recognition-based facial composite system. Twenty participants, half of whom received the focused breathing instruction, each constructed a facial composite of an unfamiliar face seen the previous day. A further 40 participants attempted to name the resulting composites. A significant increase was found in accurate identification of composites constructed by the focused breathing group.