Cue Saliency in Faces as Assessed by the ‘Photofit’ Technique

Abstract

The present study attempted to assess the relative salience of different parts of the human face through the manipulation of the features contained in the Photofit Kit. Subjects observed a face constructed from the kit before attempting to identify the same face in an array of alternatives. The alternatives differed from the target in only one feature and this was systematically varied within the array. Nose changes were least likely to be noticed, followed by mouth and eyes, with foreheads producing the lowest rate of error. This order of features held irrespective of the similarity of the distractors or whether judgements were made in the presence or in the absence of the target. The chin region produced different results depending upon the similarity of the distractors. The results are discussed in relation to earlier experiments in which Photofit and previous studies of cue saliency were used.