Davis, Josh P. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0017-7159, Robertson, David J., Jenkins, Ryan E., Ibsen, Mathias, Nichols, Robert, Babbs, Martha, Rathgeb, Christian, Løvåsdal, Frøy, Raja, Kiran and Busch, Christoph (2025) The super‐recogniser advantage extends to the detection of digitally manipulated faces. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 39 (2):e70053. ISSN 0888-4080 (Print), 1099-0720 (Online) (doi:10.1002/acp.70053)

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Abstract

Face recognition by human officials remains the predominant method of identity verification in security-critical contexts. The integrity of this process can be compromised by sophisticated fraud attacks using manipulated face images. Therefore, in this study, we examine whether human observers can detect digitally manipulated passport photos, and whether super-recognisers (SRs) outperform typical recogniser controls. Using two face manipulation detection tasks (DFMD1, DFMD2), participants were asked to decide whether a ‘suspected’ passport photo had been digitally manipulated. SRs were found to significantly outperform controls; this effect was not the result of a ‘speed-accuracy trade-off’. Individual differences on tests of face identification aptitude, self-rated ability, and response times, accounted for over 20% of the variance in manipulated image detection sensitivity. Taken together, these findings show that, despite increasing sophistication in digital face manipulation techniques, there is still utility in employing human operators, particularly SRs, to detect them.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	face recognition, morphs, manipulated images, super-recognisers
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science T Technology > T Technology (General)
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development > Centre for Thinking and Learning Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > School of Human Sciences (HUM)
Last Modified:	09 Jan 2026 15:53
URI:	https://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/52070

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