Exploring cognitive bias through facial averages.
Citation Summary:
Research spanned 4 years and 3 cross-disciplinary projects involving collaboration with 2 social science research groups (Universities of Liverpool and Tasmania), leading to 3 co-curated exhibitions, 1 peer-reviewed paper, online gallery/survey/text resource, an international conference presentation and 2 public events in the UK and Australia. The research illustrated the resilience of the human belief that facial appearance can inform on personality and behaviour, whilst simultaneously exposing human bias related to demographics and faces. Research collaboration with the Digital Panopticon team was supported by an AHRC follow-on fund (Wilkinson CI). Wilkinson led all the facial analysis/depiction and co-curated all the exhibitions.
- Submitting institution
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Liverpool John Moores University
- Unit of assessment
- 32 - Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory
- Output identifier
- 32CW3
- Type
- T - Other
- DOI
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- Location
- Various
- Brief description of type
- Multi Component Output
- Open access status
- Out of scope for open access requirements
- Month
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- Year
- 2016
- URL
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- Supplementary information
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- Request cross-referral to
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- Output has been delayed by COVID-19
- No
- COVID-19 affected output statement
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- Forensic science
- No
- Criminology
- No
- Interdisciplinary
- No
- Number of additional authors
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0
- Research group(s)
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3 - Face Lab
- Proposed double-weighted
- No
- Reserve for an output with double weighting
- No
- Additional information
- Average faces provide an effective visual method for the representation of demographic data and deliver valid interaction with the observer; facilitating comparison, empathy and knowledge transfer. Average faces are used in psychology research to study human characteristics, including attractiveness, gender, race, facial preference and elements of personality, and researchers have exploited average face technology to study globalisation and socioeconomic disparities across society. However, facial averages have a controversial past; Francis Galton (1822-1911) used average composites in an attempt to distinguish criminal and genius faces and to further doctrines on diatheses and eugenics. These discredited 19th century theories have recently been resurrected through computer algorithmic research that claims to be able to predict sexuality, personality and criminality from single facial images.
By revisiting the Galton technique through computer visualisation and informed by current craniofacial research and experimental practices, Wilkinson countered the claims advanced for what facial averages ‘represent’ about human diversity, and exposed how their use can influence prejudice and justice. Wilkinson foregrounded the question of confirmation bias in relation to facial images that claim to represent particular groups or predict behaviour/personality. These reflections were framed in a post-Brexit England struggling with identity and stability, 19th century British prisons and a transportation colony in Australia, and the latter projects involved collaboration with the Universities of Liverpool and Tasmania, following on from the Digital Panopticon project. Wilkinson asked the audience to question their own beliefs relating to demographics, crime, occupation, race and community. During the first exhibition (Faces of Merseyside 2016) Wilkinson surveyed the audience to establish how facial averages informed and challenged social stereotyping leading to a peer-reviewed art-science publication (2020). The Convicts exhibitions in the UK (2018) and Australia (2019) further challenged audience perceptions on criminality, recidivism and transportation.
- Author contribution statement
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- Non-English
- No
- English abstract
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