In many situations, security relies on accurate person identification. At airports, routine person identifications are based on face matching, in which passport officers have to decide whether the face photograph in a presented identity document actually depicts its bearer. This project investigated these person identifications by examining face matching with laboratory paradigms and in virtual reality. Data from a series of studies is provided that describe how to build and validate person avatars for such experimentation in VR and examine the role of different factors in face matching (similarity; moles; mismatch frequency; distractions).In many situations, security relies on accurate person identification. At airports, routine person identifications are based on face matching, in which passport officers have to decide whether the face photograph in a presented identity document actually depicts its bearer. This project investigated these person identifications by examining face matching with laboratory paradigms and in virtual reality. Data from a series of studies is provided that describe how to build and validate person avatars for such experimentation in VR and examine the role of different factors in face matching (similarity; moles; mismatch frequency; distractions).

Cognitive Psychology experiments in the laboratory and online, measuring identification responses to faces and passport photographs. Participants were volunteers from the general population and student population, who provided informed consent to take part.