Understanding the multiframe caricature advantage for recognizing facial composites

Frowd, Charlie D.; Skelton, Faye; Atherton, Chris; Pitchford, Melanie; Bruce, Vicki; Atkins, Rebecca; Gannon, Carol; Ross, David; Young, Fern; Nelson, Laura; Hepton, Gemma; McIntyre, Alex H.; Hancock, Peter J. B.

Abstract

Eyewitnesses often construct a ‘composite’ face of a person they saw commit a crime, a picture that police use to identify suspects. We described a technique (Frowd et al., 2007, Visual Cognition, 15, 1-31) based on facial caricature to facilitate recognition of these images: correct naming substantially improves when composites are seen with progressive positive caricature, where distinctive information is enhanced, and then with progressive negative caricature, the opposite. Over the course of four experiments, the underpinnings of this mechanism are explored. Positive-caricature levels were found to be largely responsible for improving naming of composites, with some benefit from negative-caricature levels. Also, different frame-presentation orders (forward, reverse, random, repeated) facilitated equivalent naming benefit relative to static composites. Overall, the data indicate that composites are usually constructed as negative caricatures.

Citation

Frowd, C. D., Skelton, F., Atherton, C., Pitchford, M., Bruce, V., Atkins, R., Gannon, C., Ross, D., Young, F., Nelson, L., Hepton, G., McIntyre, A. H., & Hancock, P. J. B. (2012). Understanding the multiframe caricature advantage for recognizing facial composites. Visual Cognition, 20(10), 1215-1241. https://doi.org/10.1080/13506285.2012.743936

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 20, 2012
• Online Publication Date: Dec 14, 2012
• Publication Date: 2012-12
• Deposit Date: Jun 10, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 10, 2015
• Journal: Visual Cognition
• Print ISSN: 1350-6285
• Electronic ISSN: 1464-0716
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 20
• Issue: 10
• Pages: 1215-1241
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13506285.2012.743936
• Keywords: Caricature; Face space; Facial composite; Memory; Witness
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/8526
• Publisher URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13506285.2012.743936