UNSW Face Test: A screening tool for super-recognizers

Abstract

We present a new test – the UNSW Face Test (www.unswfacetest.com) – that has been specifically designed to screen for super-recognizers in large online cohorts and is available free for scientific use. Super-recognizers are people that demonstrate sustained performance in the very top percentiles in tests of face identification ability. Because they represent a small proportion of the population, screening large online cohorts is an important tool for their initial recruitment, before completing confirmatory testing via standardized measures and more detailed cognitive testing. We provide normative data on the test from 3 cohorts tested via the internet (combined n = 23,902) and 2 cohorts tested in our lab (combined n = 182). The UNSW Face Test: (i) captures both identification memory and perceptual matching, as confirmed by correlations with existing tests of these abilities; (ii) captures face-specific perceptual and memorial abilities, as confirmed by non-significant correlations with non-face object processing tasks; (iii) enables researchers to apply stricter selection criteria than other available tests, which boosts the average accuracy of the individuals selected in subsequent testing. Together, these properties make the test uniquely suited to screening for super-recognizers in large online cohorts.

Are super‐face‐recognisers also super‐voice‐recognisers? Evidence from cross‐modal identification tasks

“…Not surprisingly therefore, the proportion of participants achieving >1.5 criterion for bells was considerably lower than those achieving criterion for voices (Table 4). These voice‐specific results suggest parallels with the face‐specific effects shown in super‐face‐recognisers (e.g., Bobak, Bennetts, et al, 2016; Dunn et al, 2020), as many do not display superiority on other visual processing tasks. The lack of any between‐groups bells effects also suggest that the voice‐specific advantages found in the current research are unlikely to be associated with motivational factors.…”

“…These lie on a continuum ranging from developmental prosopagnosics (e.g., Knutson et al, 2011; McConachie, 1976), who display dysfunctional familiar face recognition; to super‐recognisers, who display outstanding unfamiliar face recognition (e.g., Bate et al, 2018; Bobak, Bennetts, et al, 2016; Bobak, Hancock, & Bate, 2016). These individual differences are heritable and face‐specific, in that only weak correlations are found with non‐face object recognition and other visual processing skills (e.g., Dunn et al, 2020; McCaffery et al, 2018; Royer et al, 2018; Verhallen et al, 2017; Wilhelm, Herzmann, et al, 2010; Wilmer, Germine, et al, 2010; Yovel et al, 2014).…”

When two fields collide: Identifying “super-recognisers” for neuropsychological and forensic face recognition research

“…The Before They Were Famous (BTWF) test was used in the original report of Russell and colleagues (2009), but has only been adopted by one subsequent paper (Tardif et al, 2019). Notably, the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Face Test (Dunn et al, 2020) has very recently been published, offering some adequate psychometric properties for super-recogniser screening: test–retest reliability was reported as r = .59, and convergent validity with the CFMT+ was r = .31.…”

Face information sampling in super-recognizers

“…Fourteen SRs were recruited to participate in the study based on their scores on three standardized face identification tests. All SRs satisfied the criteria for super-recognition by scoring above 1.7 SDs on each of the following tests: Cambridge Face Memory Test-long form (CFMT+: Russell et al, 2009), Glasgow Face Matching Test short form (GFMT: Burton et al, 2010), and the UNSW Face Test (Dunn et al, 2020) (see Supplementary Materials for description of screening tests; Table S1 shows SRs individual scores on each screening test). Thirty-nine 'Typical Viewers' were recruited to participate from the University of Wollongong and the University of New South Wales.…”