We need to talk about super‐recognizers Invited commentary on: Ramon, M., Bobak, A. K., & White, D. Super‐recognizers: From the lab to the world and back again. British Journal of Psychology.

Abstract

Whilst we agree with much of what Ramon et al. (2019, British Journal of Psychology) say, we emphasize the additional importance of taking into account the often-neglected psychometric properties of existing and future techniques.

Towards a ‘manifesto’ for super‐recognizer research

“…Firstly, the research into superior face processing abilities should proceed via a longterm collective goal of expanding the body of knowledge and improving practices. We echo the view that if individuals with exceptional face or person recognition skills are, indeed, superior to typical perceivers, they should be deployed in professions where their abilities may help make societies fairer and safer (cf, Young & Noyes, 2019). This should be in service of improving scientific understanding and lead to the betterment of society by achieving measurable practical gains in, for example, policing, rather than serving private interests.…”

“…We echo the view that if individuals with exceptional face or person recognition skills are, indeed, superior to typical perceivers, they should be deployed in professions where their abilities may help make societies fairer and safer (cf, Young & Noyes, 2019). We echo the view that if individuals with exceptional face or person recognition skills are, indeed, superior to typical perceivers, they should be deployed in professions where their abilities may help make societies fairer and safer (cf, Young & Noyes, 2019).…”

“…Bate et al, 2019), as well as the specific roles which to-be-selected individuals are expected to perform (e.g., passport control or crowd search? These procedures for assessment must (1) incorporate multiple tests and measures within these tests (e.g., accuracy and reaction time (see Stacchi, Huguenin-Elie, Caldara, & Ramon, 2019), and (2) ensure that individuals are identified accurately and reliably as SRs (Bate et al, 2019;Young & Noyes, 2019;cf. The framework should also incorporate guidelines to ensure selection of experimental procedures most suitable for assessing specific roles and identifying abilities that are critical in that specific operational context.…”

“…The framework should also incorporate guidelines to ensure selection of experimental procedures most suitable for assessing specific roles and identifying abilities that are critical in that specific operational context. These procedures for assessment must (1) incorporate multiple tests and measures within these tests (e.g., accuracy and reaction time (see Stacchi, Huguenin-Elie, Caldara, & Ramon, 2019), and (2) ensure that individuals are identified accurately and reliably as SRs (Bate et al, 2019;Young & Noyes, 2019;cf. Wilmer et al, 2012).…”

“…The practices developed under this framework will ultimately serve to characterize the boundaries and biases associated with superior ability, in order to best match individuals with the highly varied roles and contexts that characterize real-world tasks (Bate et al, 2019;Devue, 2019). To the extent that the tests are reliable, this approach can also provide theoretical insights into associated and dissociated abilities within the person perception system (Young & Noyes, 2019;cf. Bate et al, 2018).…”