Abstract
Recent investigations of individual differences have demonstrated striking variability in performance both within the same subprocess in face cognition (e.g. face perception), but also between two different subprocesses (i.e. face perception versus face recognition) that are assessed using different tasks (face matching versus face memory). Such differences between and within individuals between and within laboratory tests raise practical challenges. This applies in particular to the development of screening tests for the selection of personnel in real-world settings where faces are routinely processed, such as at passport control. The aim of this study, therefore, was to examine the performance profiles of individuals within and across two different subprocesses of face cognition: face perception and face recognition. To this end, 146 individuals completed four different tests of face matching—one novel tool for assessing proficiency in face perception, as well as three established measures—and two benchmark tests of face memory probing face recognition. In addition to correlational analyses, we further scrutinized individual performance profiles of the highest and lowest performing observers identified per test, as well as across all tests. Overall, a number of correlations emerged between tests. However, there was limited evidence at the individual level to suggest that high proficiency in one test generalized to other tests measuring the same subprocess, as well as those that measured a different subprocess. Beyond emphasizing the need to honour inter-individual differences through careful multivariate assessment in the laboratory, our findings have real-world implications: combinations of tests that most accurately map the task(s) and processes of interest are required for personnel selection.
Highlights
Studies of human face processing are of practical relevance to identity verification in a number of realworld settings
For example, passport officers perform unfamiliar face matching, whereby they compare the face of each traveller to a passport photograph to verify their identity (e.g. [2])
We present an abridged version of the Yearbook Task (YBT) featuring 10 items, and explore possible associations between this task and several other tests that are intended to capture some of the difficulties faced by passport control and issuance personnel
Summary
Studies of human face processing are of practical relevance to identity verification in a number of realworld settings (see [1]). For example, passport officers perform unfamiliar face matching, whereby they compare the face of each traveller to a passport photograph to verify their identity In forensic settings, police officers may be required to match a high-quality photograph of a suspect to lower quality surveillance footage to establish their involvement in a crime [6,13]) Such error rates raise concerns surrounding the reliability of facial identity verification in operational settings. These concerns are further compounded by the finding that groups of professionals who are responsible for facilitating identity verification often perform comparably ( poorly) to student novices (see [2,14,15,16,17])
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