Developing Fingerprint Examination Expertise using Simultaneous and Sequential Presentations of Interleaved Practice

Abstract

Court practicing fingerprint examiners consistently demonstrate superior performance to novices in their ability to differentiate matching from non-matching fingerprints. Much is known about what differentiates a fingerprint expert from a novice, but less is known about whether the development of fingerprint expertise can be enhanced using empirically based learning strategies. Interleaved practice (mixing the study of one category with the study of another) is an effective strategy for learning visual categories that are highly similar in appearance. Research on interleaving suggests that the sequence in which materials are presented, such as one at a time (Sequentially), or multiple at once (Simultaneously), can influence how well materials are learnt. To date, the benefits of Sequential and Simultaneous interleaving have not been compared in fingerprints. This study employed a 3x11 mixed factorial design to observe learning differences between training tasks (Simultaneous or Sequential fingerprint training, or Control filler task) across 11 sessions. Participants (n=19) were randomly assigned to a training task, and a robust measure of fingerprint expertise, “the Expertise Quotient” (xQ), measured learning across sessions. Results of a mixed factorial ANOVA found no significant interaction between training task and session. Trend analysis revealed that the Sequential fingerprint training condition performed better on the xQ across sessions compared to Controls, though the Simultaneous fingerprint training condition performed worse across sessions in comparison. These results provide important implications for the future development of fingerprint examination training tools. Further research is needed to find the most optimal way to develop fingerprint expertise.