Note: View the infographic below for pointers, and then launch the study survey to participate.
The NNA has teamed up with psychology researchers at Louisiana State University in an effort to better understand the difficulties people face when matching faces to photos and other data on identification documents. Verifying the identity of signers is one of the essential duties of every Notary, but in today’s multi-cultural world that often is easier said than done.
Megan Papesh, an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Louisiana State University, is asking Notaries across the nation to participate in her face-matching research survey. To participate, view the infographic below for pointers, and then launch the study’s Notary survey. It will take about 15 minutes, and at the end you’ll see how well you did matching the faces with the IDs.
Part of the difficulty people have in face matching stems from the fact that ID photos easily can be more than a decade old, and people’s appearance often changes substantially in that time. Variations in weight and hair color can make it hard to match an ID to the person. Even something as simple as a tan can add to your challenge.
In addition, people generally are better at recognizing faces from their own cultures and ethnic groups than they are from others, according to Papesh.
Tips For Identifying Signers
Papesh recommends comparing internal features on a person’s face, such as:
- The shape of the eyes or cheeks
- The nose line
- The chin size
- The nose-mouth-chin distance
“What works when checking some individuals will not work for others,” Papesh said. “It’s a good idea to always check a few features without getting tripped up by hair, weight and skin shade.”
Papesh gave a presentation on face-matching techniques at NNA 2015 Conference. If you would like to be a presenter at NNA 2016 in Anaheim, California, please submit an application.
Michael Lewis is Managing Editor of member publications for the National Notary Association.
Additional Resources:
Webinar: ID Fraud — A Notary Trap
Fraud Fighter™ UV Penlight
2015 ID Checking Guide: US & Canada
ID Checking Guide: International Edition