title: Facial composite production: a comparison of mechanical and computer-driven systems.
abstract: Computer-driven systems for constructing composite faces of suspects (E-fit; Mac-a-Mug) have largely replaced mechanical systems (Photofit; the Identikit) in police use, yet little is known of their comparative effectiveness in rendering an accurate likeness. Participants (N = 24) constructed 2 of 4 familiar or unfamiliar faces, for one of which they used Photofit and for the other, E-fit. A likeness of each face was made first under target-absent conditions and then with photographs of the target present. The accuracy of the resulting composites was assessed by familiarity ratings, names elicited, and matching accuracy. The computer-driven system showed consistent superiority only when a familiar face was constructed in the presence of photographs; when participants worked from memory, E-fit was no better than Photofit. The implications of these findings for theories of face retrieval and the operational use of composites are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Leicester University, United Kingdom. GMD@leicester.ac.uk
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van der Willik
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Morrison
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology*; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D010781:Photography; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012984:Software