Example research essay topic: Criminal Investigation Independent Variables - 1,027 words

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Building Face Composites The hypothesis of a research study Building Face Composites Can Harm Lineup Identification Performance, by Gary L. Wells and Steve D. Charman, is contained in the name of the project. Authors task was to gather evidence that would support their claim that building face composites, on the part of witnesses to the crime, affect the objective properties of their memory.

This is the reason why criminal investigations that rely on eyewitnesses identification of potential suspects, rarely yield positive results: We know that composites usually produce results that poorly resemble the actual face that they were meant to depict and that composites can apparently impair the witness ability to identify the original face (Wells, Charman). Authors attempted to gain an insight on what actually causes the alteration of peoples memory, as result of them being the participants of a criminal investigation. According to Wells and Charman, it could have been done by the mean of conducting series of sociological experiments, in order to obtain empirical data, which would shed light on the mechanics of memorizing, as physiological process. The Experiment 1 consisted of presenting 152 undergraduate students with persons photograph, asking them to build a composite of the face; they were shown, 48 hours after the beginning of experiment, and finally asking them to identify the same photograph among six randomly selected photos of other people.

This experiment proved that students recognizing ability was significantly undermined by the process of building a composite face, on their part. The Experiment 2 consisted of showing 200 undergraduate students the video of a man engaging in suspicious activities on a rooftop and consequentially presenting them with photo lineups that included seven photographs, in order to figure out whether the experiments participants would be able to identify suspect. The rate of identification effectiveness, during the course of second experiment, was significantly lower, which can be explained by the fact that the dynamic properties of a video, negatively affected students cognitive ability. The reason why two experiments were extended in time and why the emphasis was being put on increasing the effectiveness of measurement techniques was to eliminate as many factors of uncertainty as possible. In addition, it was always being kept in mind that the outcomes of experiments were subjected to the variety of independent and dependent variables. Independent variables of experiments include: students racial background, which directly correspond to their IQ, the actual number of participants, which affects overall validity of final conclusions and verbal overshadowing effect, which tended to undermine the effectiveness of experiments, but could not be eliminated altogether.

Depended variables include: methods of participants questioning, the number of photos in lineups, the number and the quality of incentives, which served as the main motivational factor for the students to participate in the experiments and the technological aspects of experimentation, such as reliance on particular software programs (FACES), which provided experimentators with practical means of conducting research. The fact that both experiments were associated with a great number of dependent and independent variables, does not allow us to suggest that experiments empirical results can be considered as being universally applicable. Wells and Charman strived to strengthen the objective properties of experiments, which in its turn, resulted in both experiments being associated with practical complexity. Although researches tried to identify dependent and independent variables, related to experiments, they failed to reduce their actual number, which makes studys empirical outcomes a subject of further interpretations. It appears that we will not be able to use studys findings as basis, upon which the techniques of criminal investigation can be based in future.

This is because experiments outcomes are utterly inconclusive. Even though they do outline certain tendencies that affect the process of facial identification, during the course of criminal investigation, study does not provide us with insight of what actually reduces peoples ability to build realistic composites, to the degree, that this practice is being commonly regarded as such that does not justify itself. Wells and Charman admit that they failed to understand what undermined students cognitive ability, at the time they were participating in experiments, even though that experiments findings support the claim that the use of composites, during criminal investigation, should only be resorted to, if no other investigative techniques are available: We are not yet prepared to argue that the use of composites should be significantly curtailed in criminal investigations and we also cannot suggest otherwise (Wells, Charman). In other words, the study has actually failed to reach its original objectives. It appears that the reason for this was the fact that Charman and Wells were using sociological methods, while conducting research, even though that subject of a study has a purely physiological essence. Researches wrongly assumed that it is differences in participants racial affiliation or their belonging to particular social strata that defined their ability to make positive identification or to build a composite, while study proved that this ability has irrational essence.

For example, person who is capable of operating with abstract categories, because of his high IQ, does not always have a good memory. Therefore, Charman and Wells failed to establish a link between persons socio-cultural background and his or her value, within a context of criminal investigation, even though it was the original goal of two experiments. However, studys findings strengthened the positions of those who suggest that building a composite, on the part of witness, creates a second memory inside of his or her mind, which has nothing to do with objective reality. This is the reason why the effectiveness of criminal investigations that rely on building facial composites, is generally very low.

We can say that witnesses usually do posses a clear image of criminal, however, this image becomes distorted, when it comes to its transferring from witness memory to a face composite or sketch. The mechanics of this process are yet to be discovered. Bibliography: Facial Recognition in Action. 1 Aug. 2004. Government Security. Com. 23 Nov. 2007.

web McAllister, Darryl Law Enforcement Turns to Face-Recognition Technology. 2007. Goliath. 23 Nov. 2007. web Wells, Gary and Charman, Steve Building Face Composites Can Harm Lineup Identification Performance. Iowa State University.

Research essay sample on Criminal Investigation Independent Variables