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Experimental design. The experiment starts with Target Learning followed by Target Recognition. During Target Learning, observers sequentially encode three images of a given target identity, followed by a 3-alternative forced-choice (3AFC) target test of the encoded images. Target learning of all six target identities finishes with a final 20s review of target identities using novel images. Target Recognition comprises two phases, which differ in their Target-to-Match Similarity (Phase 1: high; Phase 2: low; see Methods). Target Recognition Phases can differ in terms of Target Prevalence, i.e., they can either contain only trials depicting targets (Target-Present; TP), or mixed trials (Target-Absent/ Target-Present; TA/TP). Our three groups (see Table 1) were subjected to different experimental Contexts, which represent our possible combinations of Target Prevalence (TP; TA/TP), across Target Recognition Phases with fixed order of Target-toMatch Similarity (low, followed by high).
Source publication
Studies of facial identity processing typically assess perception and/or recognition, with designs differing with respect to one important aspect: Target Prevalence. That is, some include “target absent” (TA) among “target present” (TP) trials. In visual search tasks, TA trials shift an observer’s decisional criterion towards a stricter one, increa...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... assess the effect of target-absent trials on face recognition, we created two modified versions (Group 1, Group 2; see Table 1) of the original MMT ( Bate et al., 2018). At base, all versions contain two phases schematically represented in Figure 2: (1) Target Learning (consistent across versions) and (2) Target Recognition (differing across test versions). Target Recognition consists of two phases (45 trials each), which differ in terms of Target-to-Match Similarity. ...
Similar publications
Studies of facial identity processing typically assess perception (via matching) and/or memory (via recognition), with experimental designs differing with respect to one important aspect: Target Prevalence. Some designs include “target absent” (TA) among “target present” (TP) trials. In visual search tasks, TA trials shift an observer’s decisional...
Citations
... Indeed, criminal investigation line-ups may not always contain the target identity in question. Therefore, recently, Boudry et al. (22) systematically investigated the effect of target prevalence on observers' face recognition performance using the same 3alternative forced-choice memory paradigm as the CFMT (1). Mirroring findings from within the field of visual search (23,24), the authors report that decreased target occurrence was associated with lower recognition performance. ...
About a decade ago, Super-Recognizers (SRs) were first described as individuals with exceptional face identity processing abilities. Since then, various tests have been developed or adapted to assess individuals' abilities and identify SRs. The extant literature suggests that SRs may be beneficial in police tasks requiring individual identification. However, in reality, the performance of SRs has never been examined using authentic forensic material. This not only limits the external validity of test procedures used to identify SRs, but also claims concerning their deployment in policing. Here, we report the first-ever investigation of SRs' ability to identify perpetrators using authentic case material. We report the data of 73 SRs and 45 control participants. These include (a) performance on three challenging tests of face identity processing recommended by Ramon (2021) for SR identification; (b) performance for perpetrator identification using four CCTV sequences depicting five perpetrators and police line-ups created for criminal investigation purposes. Our findings demonstrate that the face identity processing tests used here are valid in measuring such abilities and identifying SRs. Moreover, SRs excel at perpetrator identification relative to control participants, with more correct perpetrator identifications, the better their performance across lab tests. These results provide external validity for the recently proposed diagnostic framework and its tests used for SR identification (Ramon, 2021). This study provides the first empirical evidence that SRs identified using these measures can be beneficial for forensic perpetrator identification. We discuss theoretical and practical implications for law enforcement, whose procedures can be improved via a human-centric approach centered around individuals with superior abilities.
... Indeed, criminal investigation line-ups may not always contain the target identity in question. Therefore, recently, Boudry, Nador, and Ramon (2023) systematically investigated the effect of target prevalence on observers' face recognition performance using the same 3-alternative forced-choice memory paradigm as the CFMT (Russell et al., 2009). Mirroring findings from within the field of visual search (Wolfe et al., 2007;Wolfe & Van Wert, 2010), the authors report that decreased target occurrence was associated with lower recognition performance. ...
About a decade ago, Super-Recognizers (SRs) were first described as individuals with exceptional face identity processing abilities. Since then, various tests have been developed or adapted to assess individuals’ abilities and identify SRs. The extant literature suggests that SRs may be beneficial in police tasks requiring individual identification. However, in reality, the performance of SRs has never been examinedusing authentic forensic material. This not only limits the external validity of test procedures used to identify SRs, but also claims concerning their deployment in policing. Here, we report the first-ever investigation of SRs’ ability to identify perpetrators using authentic case material. We report the data of 73 SRs and 45 control participants. These include (a) performance on three challenging tests of face identity processing recommended by Ramon (2021) for SR identification; (b) performance for perpetrator identification using four CCTV sequences depicting five perpetrators and police line-ups created for criminal investigation purposes. Our findings demonstrate that the face identity processing tests used here are valid in measuring such abilities and identifying SRs. Moreover, SRs excel at perpetrator identification relative to control participants, with more correct perpetrator identifications, the better their performance across lab tests. These results provide external validity for the recently proposed diagnostic framework and its tests used for SR identification (Ramon,2021). This study provides the first empirical evidence that SRs identified using these measures can be beneficial for forensic perpetrator identification. We discuss theoretical and practical implications for law enforcement, whose procedures can be improved via a human-centric approach centered around individuals with superior abilities.
