Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1893/28487
Appears in Collections:Psychology Journal Articles
Peer Review Status: Refereed
Title: The impact of external facial features on the construction of facial composites
Author(s): Brown, Charity
Portch, Emma
Skelton, Faye C
Fodarella, Cristina
Kuivaniemi-Smith, Heidi
Herold, Kate
Hancock, Peter J B
Frowd, Charlie D
Contact Email: p.j.b.hancock@stir.ac.uk
Keywords: facial composite
altered external-features, hair
holistic face processing
witness
Issue Date: Apr-2019
Date Deposited: 11-Jan-2019
Citation: Brown C, Portch E, Skelton FC, Fodarella C, Kuivaniemi-Smith H, Herold K, Hancock PJB & Frowd CD (2019) The impact of external facial features on the construction of facial composites. Ergonomics, 62 (4), pp. 575-592. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2018.1556816
Abstract: Witnesses may construct a composite face of a perpetrator using a computerised interface. Police practitioners guide witnesses through this unusual process, the goal being to produce an identifiable image. However, any changes a perpetrator makes to their external facial-features may interfere with this process. In Experiment 1, participants constructed a composite using a holistic interface one day after target encoding. Target faces were unaltered, or had altered external-features: (i) changed hair, (ii) external-features removed or (iii) naturally-concealed external-features (hair, ears, face-shape occluded by a hooded top). These manipulations produced composites with more error-prone internal-features: participants’ familiar with a target’s unaltered appearance less often provided a correct name. Experiment 2 applied external-feature alterations to composites of unaltered targets; although whole-face composites contained less error-prone internal-features, identification was impaired. Experiment 3 replicated negative effects of changing target hair on construction and tested a practical solution: selectively concealing hair and eyes improved identification.
DOI Link: 10.1080/00140139.2018.1556816
Rights: This item has been embargoed for a period. During the embargo please use the Request a Copy feature at the foot of the Repository record to request a copy directly from the author. You can only request a copy if you wish to use this work for your own research or private study. This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in Ergonomics on 04 Feb 2019, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/00140139.2018.1556816

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