Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/2440/139251
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Type: | Journal article |
Title: | The effect of fingerprint expertise on visual short-term memory |
Author: | Corbett, B.J. Tangen, J.M. Searston, R.A. Thompson, M.B. |
Citation: | Cognitive Research, 2024; 9(1) |
Publisher: | SPRINGER |
Issue Date: | 2024 |
ISSN: | 2365-7464 2365-7464 |
Statement of Responsibility: | Brooklyn Corbett, Jason Tangen, Rachel Searston, Matthew Thompson, Samuel Robson |
Abstract: | Expert fingerprint examiners demonstrate impressive feats of memory that may support their accuracy when making high-stakes identification decisions. Understanding the interplay between expertise and memory is therefore critical. Across two experiments, we tested fingerprint examiners and novices on their visual short-term memory for fingerprints. In Experiment 1, experts showed substantially higher memory performance compared to novices for fingerprints from their domain of expertise. In Experiment 2, we manipulated print distinctiveness and found that while both groups benefited from distinctive prints, experts still outperformed novices. This indicates that beyond stimulus qualities, expertise itself enhances short-term memory, likely through more effective organisational processing and sensitivity to meaningful patterns. Taken together, these findings shed light on the cognitive mechanisms that may explain fingerprint examiners' superior memory performance within their domain of expertise. They further suggest that training to improve memory for diverse fingerprints could practically boost examiner performance. Given the high-stakes nature of forensic identification, characterising psychological processes like memory that potentially contribute to examiner accuracy has important theoretical and practical implications. |
Keywords: | Dermatoglyphics Memory, Short-Term Professional Competence Data Accuracy |
Rights: | Copyright status unknown |
DOI: | 10.1186/s41235-024-00539-9 |
Grant ID: | ARC |
Published version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s41235-024-00539-9 |
Appears in Collections: | Psychology publications |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
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hdl_139251.pdf | Published version | 1.89 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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