EARWITNESS TESTIMONY .2. VOICES, FACES AND CONTEXT

Two factors relevant to voice recognition were investigated in the stu dy reported here: the effect on memory for a voice of the presence of a face or personal information about the speaker, and the effects of t he re-presentation of this information as contextual cues at test. Rec ognition memory for the briefly heard voice of a stranger was superior in conditions where the face of the speaker was absent. Presence of t he additional contextual cues at test had no effects on recognition pe rformance. Theoretical and forensic applications of the findings are d iscussed in terms of face-recognition models and witness line-up desig n. The sensitivity of voice memory measures to the different types of experimental design is also considered. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Lt d.