Constructing identifiable composite faces: The importance of cognitive alignment of interview and construction procedure

Skelton, Faye C.; Frowd, Charlie D.; Hancock, Peter J. B.; Jones, Helen S.; Jones, Benedict C.; Fodarella, Cristina; Battersby, Kirsty; Logan, Karen

Abstract

We investigated the impact of congruency between the witness interview and method used to construct a composite face. Experiment 1, using a typical feature-by-feature composite method, revealed that aligning cognitive processes during interview and face construction enhanced the effectiveness of composites compared with composites produced following unaligned (incongruent) procedures. Experiment 2 revealed that incorporating character judgements in the witness interview substantially enhanced identification of feature-based composites when constructing the central (internal) features first, suggesting that such judgements focus attention on this region of the face. Experiment 3 explored alignment of processes using an approach based on an evolutionary algorithm, a method requiring witnesses to create a composite by selecting from arrays based on the eye-region. A combination of character judgements, first for the whole face and then for the eye region, led to best-identified composites. Overall, results indicate that more effective composites are produced when both interview and construction procedures are aligned cognitively. Results are discussed with relevance to the theory of transfer-appropriate processing (Morris, Bransford, & Franks, 1977).

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 25, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Nov 25, 2019
• Publication Date: 2020-09
• Deposit Date: Oct 9, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 9, 2019
• Journal: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied
• Print ISSN: 1076-898X
• Electronic ISSN: 1939-2192
• Publisher: American Psychological Association
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 26
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 507-521
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/xap0000257
• Keywords: Facial composites, interview, police, witnesses
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2212397
• Publisher URL: https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/xap/