A forensically valid comparison of facial composite systems

Charlie D. Frowd, Derek Carson, Hayley Ness, Jan Richardson, Lisa Morrison, Sarah Mclanaghan, Peter Hancock

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

108 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

An evaluation of E-FIT, PROfit, Sketch, Photofit and EvoFIT composite construction techniques was carried out in a "forensically friendly format": composites of unfamiliar targets were constructed from memory following a 3-4-hour delay using a Cognitive Interview and experienced operators. The main dependent variable was spontaneous naming and overall performance was low (10% average naming rate). E-FITs were named better than all techniques except PROfit, though E-FIT was superior to PROfit when the target was more distinctive. E-FIT, PROfit and Sketch were similar overall in a composite sorting task, but Sketch emerged best for more average-looking targets. Photofit performed poorly, as did EvoFIT, an experimental system. Overall, facial distinctiveness was found to be an important factor for composite naming.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)33-52
Number of pages20
JournalPsychology, Crime and Law
Volume11
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2005
Externally publishedYes

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