Perceptual expertise in forensic facial image comparison

These possibilities do not account for the qualitative differences observed in their performance in previous work.

“However, these possibilities do not account for the qualitative differences observed in their performance in previous work [20, 22].”

Facial examiners are a specialist group of facial image comparison practitioners who conduct slow, systematic, feature-based comparisons, often as part of criminal investigations.

“Facial examiners are a specialist group of facial image comparison practitioners who conduct slow, systematic, feature-based comparisons, often as part of criminal investigations (see [20, 22, 23]).”

Facial examiners-who receive extensive training in feature comparison-tend to outperform novices.

“It is also consistent with the fact that facial examiners—who receive extensive training in feature comparison—tend to outperform novices (e.g., [20, 22–24]).”

Recent studies show that facial examiners are more accurate than novices on face identification tasks.

“Recent studies show that facial examiners are more accurate than novices on face identification tasks [20, 22–24].”

In previous work, examiners' accuracy was less impaired when face images were presented upside down compared to novices.

“and their accuracy was less impaired when face images were presented upside down compared to novices [20, 22].”

The superior accuracy experienced by facial examiners is typically accompanied by qualitative differences in their performance.

“However, the superior accuracy experienced by facial examiners is typically accompanied by qualitative differences in their performance.”

Facial examiners show smaller face inversion effects than novices.

“Importantly, these experts also show qualitative differences in their performance: extracting more diagnostic identity information from facial features than novices [20], and showing smaller face inversion effects [20, 22] (see S3 Appendix for details of the inversion effect).”

Similar groups of professional examiners have been shown to have superior face identification abilities.

“In recent studies, similar groups of professional examiners have been shown to have superior face identification abilities [20, 21].”

Trained facial examiners have outperformed control participants both here and in recent studies.

“Notwithstanding, trained facial examiners have outperformed control participants both here and in recent studies [20, 21].”

In recent studies, facial examiners were more accurate in one-to-one facial image comparison compared to control groups.

“In recent studies, facial examiners were more accurate in one-to-one facial image comparison compared to control groups [20, 21] and so we expected that examiners would outperform the other groups.”

Course D did not produce the qualitative changes associated with expertise in facial image comparison: increased diagnosticity of facial feature similarity ratings and a reduced inversion effect.

“In addition, Course D did not produce the qualitative changes associated with expertise in facial image comparison: increased diagnosticity of facial feature similarity ratings and a reduced inversion effect [20, 22].”

Expertise of examiners is most evident at longer exposure durations and when comparing high-quality images.

“For instance, expertise of examiners is most evident at longer exposure durations [20] and when comparing high-quality images [21].”