Variations in the Field of View of the Forensic Artist’s Workspace in Constructing Facial Composites by Video Calls
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.16925/cf.v5i1.2303Keywords:
forensic art, cognitive interview, facial composite, proxemics, rapport.Abstract
Introduction: This article presents the results of an already completed study, whose aim was to determine whether, during the construction of facial composites by video calls, there is a possible correlation between the extent of the field of view that the witness or victim has with respect to the forensic artist’s workspace, and the resulting resemblance between the sketch and the face of the person to be identified. Approach: Emphasis is put on the applicability of these new technological means in the Latin American context, particularly towards overcoming the physical distances between victims and judicial authorities of some countries in the region. Method: A first group of 24 volunteers located in Santiago de Chile took part in individual cognitive interviews with a forensic artist settled in Dundee (United Kingdom) by video calls, 24 hours after having briefly observed the photograph of a character in a British TV series not broadcasted in Chile. During the interviews, 12 of them had visual access to the image of the artist’s upper trunk and workspace, while the other 12 only observed a white wall on the screen. Subsequently, a second group of 24 individuals, also located in Chile, assessed the resemblance between sketches and original images using a Likert scale. Results: The data obtained suggest that there is no direct correlation between the variables considered, implying that changes in the environment of interviews would not have a significant effect on the construction of facial composites. Conclusion: The illusion of copresence seems not to be imperative for building rapport between the interviewee and the forensic artist.
Author Biography
Gustavo Faúndez Salinas, Universidad de Chile
Departamento de Anatomía y Medicina Legal
References
Taylor K. Forensic Art and Illustration. Boca Raton: CRC Press; 2001.
International Association for Identification [Página principal en internet]. Hollywood, FL [consultado
Julio 2017]. Disponible en: https://www.theiai.org/disciplines/art/history.php.
History by the Yard [página principal en internet]. Londres [actualizada 29 Sept 2015; consultado 30
Jun 2017]. Disponible en: http://www.historybytheyard.co.uk/percy_lefroy_mapleton.htm.
Sekula A. The body and the archive. October. 1986; (39): 3-64.
Tagg J. The Burden of Representation: Essays in Photographies and Histories. Minnesota: University
of Minnesota Press; 1998.
Laugherly K, Fowler R. Sketch artist and identi-kit procedures for recalling faces. Journal of Applied
Psychology. 1980; 65(3): 307-316.
Brace N, Pike G, Allen P, Kemp R. Identifying composites of famous faces: Investigating memory, lan-
guage and system issues. Psychology, Crime and Law. 2006; 12(4): 351-366.
Fisher R, Geiselman R. Memory-enhancing Techniques for Investigative Interviewing: The Cognitive
Interview. Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas; 1992.
Fisher R, Ross S, Cahill B. Interviewing witnesses and victims. En: Granhag P, editor. Forensic Psycho-
logy in Context: Nordic and International Approaches. Cullompton: Willan Publishing; 2010.p. 56-74.
Darling S, Martin D, Hellmann JH, Memon A. Some witnesses are better than others. Personality and In-
dividual Differences. 2009; 47(1): 369-373.
Valentine T, Bruce V. Recognizing familiar faces: The role of distinctiveness and familiarity. Canadian
Journal of Psychology. 1986; 40(3): 300-305.
Bruce V. Perceiving and recognising faces. Mind and Language. 1990; (5)4: 343-364.
Nash R, Houston K, Ryan K, Woodger N. Remembering remotely: would video-mediation impair
witnesses’ memory reports? Psychology, Crime & Law. 2014; 20(8): 756-768.
Kuivaniemi-Smith H, Nash R, Brodie E, Mahoney G, Rynn C. Producing facial composite sketches in
remote Cognitive Interviews: a preliminary investigation. Psychology, Crime & Law. 2014; 20(4): 389406.
Hall E. The Hidden Dimension. New York: Doubleday; 1966.
Jakobsen M, Sahlemariam Y, Knudsen S, Hornbaek K. Information visualization and proxemics: Design
opportunities and empirical findings. IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics.
; 19(12): 2386-2395.
Slater M, Spanlang B, Corominas D. Simulating virtual environments within virtual environments
as the basis for a psychophysics of presence. ACM Transactions on Graphics. 2010; 29(4).
Kastanis I, Slater M. Reinforcement learning utilizes proxemics: An avatar learns to manipulate the position of people in immersive virtual reality. ACM Transactions on Applied Perception. 2012; 9(1).
Witmer B, Singer M. Measuring presence in virtual environments: A presence questionnaire. Presence.
; 7(3): 225-240.
International Ethical Guidelines for Health-related Research Involving Humans. 4a ed. Geneva: Coun-
cil for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS); 2016.
La Rocca S, Martínez G, Rascio A, Bajardi M. La investigación biomédica y el consentimiento informado en el ámbito de las poblaciones e individuos vulnerables. Acta Bioethica. 2005; 11(2):169-181.
