Research aims
Our project aim to develop best practice for interviewing child witnesses to ensure accurate and reliable testimony. We aim to optimise techniques for creating identifiable composite faces to aid law enforcement and enhance the effectiveness of investigations.
Overview
Facial composites are an important tool for effective policing. Composites are used to identify crime suspects, and much is known about how they can be created identifiably. Most of this research has focused on adult eyewitnesses and the procedures they use that enable the construction of the most effective image (e.g., Frowd, 2021).
However, sometimes there are younger witnesses to a crime who are asked to create the face of an offender (e.g., Paine et al, 2007). The current project considers younger eyewitnesses. It involves theory on developmental changes in face processing (e.g., Schwarzer et al, 2010), attention (e.g., Pajón & Walsh, 2017) and Cognitive Load Theory (e.g., Sweller et al., 2011).
The project uses a forensically relevant design (including a long delay between seeing a face and creating the composite face) to assess the identifiability of young age witness’s composites. This will help to develop procedures for making the most identifiable face.
Research impact
Our project has indicated that child witnesses can create identifiable faces from memory. The project continues to assess different interview and face construction protocols to enable the construction of the best possible image.
