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Masters of disguise: Super-recognisers’ superior memory for concealed faces

Masters of disguise: Super-recognisers’ superior memory for concealed faces

Davis, Josh P. ORCID: 0000-0003-0017-7159 and Tamonytė, Donata (2017) Masters of disguise: Super-recognisers’ superior memory for concealed faces. In: 2017 Seventh International Conference on Emerging Security Technologies (EST). IEEE. ISBN 978-1-5386-4019-7 ISSN 2472-7601 (Online) (doi:https://doi.org/10.1109/EST.2017.8090397)

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Abstract

The deployment of police super-recognisers (SRs) with exceptional face recognition ability, has transformed the manner in which some forces manage CCTV evidence. In London, SRs make high numbers of suspect identifications, sometimes of suspects in disguise. In two experiments measuring immediate and one-week memory of faces in disguise, SRs were more accurate and confident than controls at correctly identifying targets, and ruling out faces not seen before. Accuracy and confidence were highest when targets wore no disguise, followed by hat and plaster, sunglasses, and balaclavas respectively. Even in the balaclava condition, SR performance was more accurate than chance. These findings join an accumulating body of empirical evidence demonstrating that SRs possess wide-ranging enhanced face processing abilities, and their deployment should complement ever improving computerised face recognition systems.

Item Type: Conference Proceedings
Title of Proceedings: 2017 Seventh International Conference on Emerging Security Technologies (EST)
Additional Information: 2017 Seventh International Conference on Emerging Security Technologies (EST) was held in Canterbury, UK, from 6-8 September 2017.
Uncontrolled Keywords: Super-recognisers, disguise, Eyewitness identification, face recognition
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group: Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences
Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Applied Psychology Research Group
Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > School of Human Sciences (HUM)
Last Modified: 19 Feb 2018 16:42
URI: http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/19273

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