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Description: Years of psychological research indicate people are poor at matching the identity of a person with an ID photo. Known as the cross-race effect, this inept ability is exacerbated when the to-be-identified individual comes from a race that is different than the perceiver's own-race. Using a task that mimics document screening procedures, the purpose of the present study was to determine if perceiver motivation moderates the cross-race effect in face matching accuracy and the calibration between confidence and accuracy. In line with the Categorization-Individuation Model, results indicated perceiver motivation is critical to enhancing accuracy, particularly for other-race faces. The results have important implications for officers' "on the look-out" for a suspect or for document screeners seeking to identify imposter IDs.
Suggested Citation:
Susa, K. J., Gause, C. A., Dessenberger, S. J. (2019). Matching Faces to ID Photos: The Influence of Motivation on Crossrace Identification
[Electronic Version]. Applied Psychology in Criminal Justice,
15(1), 86-96.
Keywords: motivation, cross-race effect, face matching, perceptual identification
Date: Aug 13, 2019 | File Size: 375.73 Kb | Downloads: 989