An evaluation of E-FIT, PROfit, Sketch, Photofit and EvoFIT composite construction techniques was carried out in a ''forensically friendly format'': composites of unfamiliar targets were constructed from memory following a 3 Á/4-hour delay using a Cognitive Interview and experienced operators. The main dependent variable was spontaneous naming and overall performance was low (10% average naming rate). E-FITs were named better than all techniques except PROfit, though E-FIT was superior to PROfit when the target was more distinctive. E-FIT, PROfit and Sketch were similar overall in a composite sorting task, but Sketch emerged best for more average-looking targets. Photofit performed poorly, as did EvoFIT, an experimental system. Overall, facial distinctiveness was found to be an important factor for composite naming.

Computer-driven systems for constructing composite faces of suspects (E-fit; Mac-a-Mug) have largely replaced mechanical systems (Photofit; the Identikit) in police use, yet little is known of their comparative effectiveness in rendering an accurate likeness. Participants (N = 24) constructed 2 of 4 familiar or unfamiliar faces, for one of which they used Photofit and for the other, E-fit. A likeness of each face was made first under target-absent conditions and then with photographs of the target present. The accuracy of the resulting composites was assessed by familiarity ratings, names elicited, and matching accuracy. The computer-driven system showed consistent superiority only when a familiar face was constructed in the presence of photographs; when participants worked from memory, E-fit was no better than Photofit. The implications of these findings for theories of face retrieval and the operational use of composites are discussed.

Mystery customer research is a technique of quality assessment in the retail sector, where it is called mystery shopping, and also in the service sector. It is growing rapidly in popularity, but research in cognitive psychology suggests a number of potential threats to the reliability and validity of data collected through its use.In particular, various factors associated with the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information by mystery customer assessors are likely to influence the accuracy of the results, and individual differences between assessors should also be taken into account in designing mystery customer surveys. A number of specific recommendations designed to minimize errors arising from memory failures and distortions are outlined and discussed.

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