Interpersonal Relations
Recognizing Faces - Survey
"What Does She Look Like?"
Thank you to all of you who participated in this little survey about the ability to visualize faces in one's mind. And I do mean "little" survey. Please don't anyone try to make any statistics out of this small sampling. Approximately 170 people were questioned, and approximately twenty to thirty people responded. Most of those who responded were either people who have a difficulty with visualizing faces, or people who are involved with education, or are family or close friends of mine. The point is that this is not an accurate sampling for statistics. But that was not the purpose. The purpose was to learn more. Many of you expressed an enthusiastic desire to learn more, too. I feel that I learned a lot! And I'm happy to share that with you. I had fun with this and I hope that you will too!
SURVEY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1. Are you or anyone you know unable to "see" someone's face in your mind? (meaning someone that you know, but that you are not looking at right at the moment).
13 people answered that they are unable to see someone's face in their mind.
15 people answered that they are able to see someone's face in their mind.
Comments: "Depends on how recently I've seen the person." "I cannot visualize faces in my mind at all. I also have trouble going back to familiar places without an address. Yet if someone says a word, I see it spelled in my mind." "I used to get so mad in high school when I'd have a crush on a boy, that I couldn't see him in my mind." "The more I like someone or feel close to them, the less likely that I can see that person in my mind. But sometimes I see someone at the store who makes me think of someone I am close to."
2. Are you or someone you know, able to see others' faces in your mind occasionally but not at will (not whenever you'd like), but only if the image happens to "pop into your head"?
4 people answered yes
3 people answered no
Comments: "Only in my dreams." "No, it always takes an effort." "The more I try to see someone in my mind, the less likely it is to happen; but sometimes people just appear in my mind for no apparent reason, although it is vague, more their expressions than their features." From someone who does see faces clearly in her mind, they also "pop" into her mind at times, "...most especially when I was engaged with my husband to be. Sometimes I would see his face in my cereal while I was eating breakfast."
3. Are you or someone you know able to see other's faces in your mind but only vaguely?
2 answered yes
2 answered no, no problem seeing faces clearly
3 answered sometimes, but it takes an effort
Comments: "I can vaguely see their outline and hair but not the face." "I could even tell you about individual facial features if I really thought about it...but putting the whole face together...talk about a struggle that won't stay."
4. Do you "see" (in your mind) the features and hair color of people you know?
8 people answered yes
5 people answered no
5. Do you "see" (in your mind) typical facial expressions for people you know?
8 people answered yes
7 people answered no
3 people answered "sometimes"
6. Have you ever heard anything about the origin of this inability to see faces in one's mind, or the inability to see faces clearly in one's mind? (whether is is hereditary or whether it has any other specific cause)
5 people said no
1 person said "I think it is hereditary."
Comments: "There are other visual processing disorders...students have difficulty reading because they are not visualizing what they are reading..."
7. Do you know if there is a name for this?
5 people answered no.
3 people gave us a name that they thought might or might not apply.
The name they gave is "prosopagnosia", or in layman's terms, "face-blindness". Thank you!
Comment: Does prosopagnosia apply to what we are talking about? Information about prosopagnosia addresses face recognition rather than visualization. How well do we recognize people by their faces when we see them? Although some people with face-blindness can't recognize their own family members, not everyone with the condition has it this severely. Is there a connection between being able to visualize a face and being able to recognize a face? The question of face recognition is one that I didn't yet realize I should ask in my survey. But for myself and someone else that I know, the connection seems to apply. You will know more about what I mean if you read my article on prosopagnosia.
8. Do you know of a link or a book on the subject?
Several people gave me book ideas, and I have not yet been able to get the books.
Two people also gave us website addresses:
www.faceblind.org
www.prosopagnosia.org
What can we gain from this knowledge?
If you have no trouble visualizing or recognizing people, you can have a greater understanding of those who do. If you do have trouble with either visualizing or recognizing, or both maybe this will explain something for you. I hope it will be helpful. The information is helpful to me. It has been thought that I was "losing it", and also that I was not making an effort to be observant. While trying harder to remember faces might not do me any good, making a greater effort to be observant might help, by observing clothing, hairstyles, haircolor, gait, build, and so on. We may want to make a greater effort in that than some people, but isn't it nice to know that we are neither crazy nor lazy? We just view the world a little differently.
I hope that you all have learned from and/or enjoyed all this. Feel free to email me with any comments or questions, either where you usually email me, or here at Mothers Almanac.
To visit my article on prosogagnosia or face-blindness, you can CLICK HERE.
Thanks again! And God bless!
Compilation and arrangement 2005 by Margaret Mary Myers
(Yes, much of it was YOUR words, but it's for your protection. :) ).
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