NCJ Number
55557
Journal
Journal of the Forensic Science Society Volume: 18 Issue: 1 & 2 Dated: (JANUARY/APRIL 1978) Pages: 19-24
Date Published
1978
Length
6 pages
Annotation
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THREE FEATURES OF HUMAN MEMORY CAPABILITY ARE DISCUSSED IN RELATION TO REMEMBERING FACES AND THEN EXAMINED IN TERMS OF THE USEFULNESS OF FACE RECONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS SUCH AS 'PHOTOFIT.'
Abstract
STUDIES SHOW THAT HUMAN MEMORY IN GENERAL HAS THREE DISTINCTIVE FEATURES: THE GAP BETWEEN WHAT CAN BE RECALLED AND WHAT CAN BE RECOGNIZED, THE SELECTIVE NATURE OF WHAT IS STORED, AND THE TENDENCY TO CODE MATERIAL IN TERMS OF GENERAL CATEGORIES RATHER THAN SPECIFIC INSTANCES. WHEN THESE FEATURES ARE CONSIDERED IN TERMS OF RECALLING AND RECOGNIZING FACES, LABORATORY RESEARCH INDICATES THAT INDIVIDUALS HAVE A HIGH DEGREE OF RECOGNITION OF PERSONS FROM PHOTOGRAPHS, BUT ARE VERY POOR IN DESCRIBING AN IMAGE OR A HUMAN FACE. WHEN A SAMPLE OF PERSONS WERE ASKED TO DESCRIBE PHOTOGRAPHS OF FACES IN A WAY SO THAT OTHERS WOULD BE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE THE PERSON FROM THE DESCRIPTION, MOST SELECTED INFORMATION ON THE HAIR, EYES, EYEBROWS, AND NOSE. PARTICULARLY DEVIANT FEATURES, SUCH AS A LARGE NOSE, WERE LIKELY TO BE DOMINANT FOR RECOGNITION PURPOSES. CLASSIFICATION CATEGORIES MOST USED BY SUBJECTS FOR DESCRIPTION WERE AGE, FACE SHAPE, AND HAIR LENGTH. NONPHYSICAL CLASSIFICATIONS WERE INTELLIGENCE, BEAUTY, INTEGRITY, AND OCCUPATION. THERE APPEAR TO BE AT LEAST THREE SOURCES OF DISTORTION LYING BETWEEN THE WITNESS'S INITIAL GLIMPSE OF THE SUSPECT AND THE FINAL PHOTOFIT CONSTRUCTION: SELECTIVE ENCODING OF FEATURES, ASSIGNMENT TO PHYSIOGNOMIC TYPE, AND THE SUBJECTIVES OVERLAY DUE TO CONTEXT. GIVEN THESE INFLUENCES, PHOTOFIT CANNOT BE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE ACCURATE RECONSTRUCTIONS, BUT RATHER CARICATURES. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (DAG)