Unfamiliar face recognition essay

Question 1

What is the definition of unfamiliar face recognition (UFR)?

Answer 1

The ability to recognize faces of individuals we have not encountered before or who are not personally familiar to us.

Question 2

Why is unfamiliar face recognition important?

Answer 2

It is essential for security, social interactions, and the functioning of sectors like law enforcement, border control, and technology.

Question 3

What are the three categories of face recognition ability?

Answer 3

1. Super-recognizers: Exceptional ability to recognize unfamiliar faces.
2. Typical recognizers: Average ability with varying accuracy.
3. Prosopagnosics: Severe impairments in recognizing even familiar faces.

Question 4

How do super-recognizers and prosopagnosics challenge our understanding of “normal” face recognition abilities?

Answer 4

• They highlight the variability in face recognition abilities.
• Challenge traditional models by moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach to recognising a range of individual abilities.

Question 5

What can cause performance on unfamiliar face recognition tasks to vary?

Answer 5

External conditions like distractions, emotional states, or lighting.

Question 6

What tests are commonly used to assess unfamiliar face recognition (UFR)?

Answer 6

1. Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT): Measures face memory ability.
2. Cambridge Face Perception Test (CFPT): Assesses face perception accuracy.

Question 7

What is the “own age bias” in unfamiliar face recognition?

Answer 7

Recognition memory for one’s own age group is often to superior to memory from other age groups

Question 8

What is the “other race effect” in unfamiliar face recognition?

Answer 8

People are more accurate at recognizing faces of their own race than other races, with error rates of less than 30% for own-race faces and 48% for other-race faces.

Question 9

What two effects challenge the reliability of unfamiliar face recognition in diverse settings?

Answer 9

Own age bias and other race effect.

Question 10

What do the own age bias and other race effect highlight the need for in face recognition?

Answer 10

Robust, unbiased systems and improved human abilities.

Question 11

How does stress affect unfamiliar face recognition?

Answer 11

High-stress environments, like military interrogation stress, impair the ability to recognize faces accurately even 48 hours later.

Question 12

What does stress affect in eyewitness testimonies and security work?

Answer 12

It reduces accuracy, leading to misidentifications and flawed judgments.

Question 13

What does the effect of stress on face recognition emphasise the importance of?

Answer 13

Considering stress factors.

Question 14

What challenges do law enforcement personnel face in unfamiliar face recognition?

Answer 14

Poor-quality footage, low-resolution images, partial faces, and the need for quick, accurate identification.

Question 15

Why is unfamiliar face recognition challenging in social interactions?

Answer 15

People may look different in varying contexts (e.g., different clothing or hairstyles), leading to errors in recognition.

Question 16

What are the key takeaways about unfamiliar face recognition?

Answer 16

While success rates vary depending on factors like familiarity, ethnicity, and environmental conditions, UFR is crucial for societal needs like security, technology, and social functioning.

Question 17

List the essay structure of UFR.

Answer 17

• Intro
• General ability in UFR (FR as a continuum, performance variability)
• How good are we at UFR (testing UFR, factors affecting success)
• Real world challenges of UFR (stress)
• Real world implications of UFR (security and social interactions)
• Conclusion