WK7: Prosopagnosia & Blindsight

• What is prosopagnosia?

  It is the inability to recognize familiar faces.
• Who are often impaired at recognizing faces in prosopagnosia?

  Family, friends, famous people, or their own face.
• Who introduced the term prosopagnosia?

  Bodamer in 1947.
• What was a notable case study finding by Hecaen & Angelergues (1962)?

  A patient could recognize the difference between a man and a woman but not between his wife’s face and his mother’s.
• What is a common characteristic of prosopagnosia regarding self-recognition?

  Patients often cannot recognize their own face.
• What is the typical cause of prosopagnosia?

  Usually occurs after bilateral damage to the ventral occipital cortex.
• Can prosopagnosia occur after damage to the right hemisphere?

  Yes, it can occur after damage to the right hemisphere.
• What abilities might prosopagnosics still retain?

  They may still match unfamiliar faces, perceive facial expressions, and identify a person based on other cues.
• What did Bodamer (1947) report in his case studies?

  He reported that some patients could tell that certain objects were faces but not who they belonged to.
• How did Patient A recognize Hitler in Bodamer's case study?

  By distinctive moustache and side parting.
• What are the main components of the functional model of face recognition proposed by Bruce & Young (1986)?

  • Structural Encoding
  • Face Recognition Units
  • Person Identity Nodes
  • Name Generation
  • Expression Analysis
  • Speech Analysis
  • Directed Visual Processing
  • Cognitive System
• What does structural encoding produce in face recognition?

  Descriptions of the face, such as configuration and features.
• What is the role of Face Recognition Units (FRUs)?

  They store structural codes containing information about all faces known to a person.
• How can Face Recognition Units be primed?

  They can be primed directly if a person is seen recently or indirectly by Person Identity Nodes (PINs).
• What do Person Identity Nodes (PINs) provide access to?

  Information about a person, such as occupation and relationship.
• What happens in the Name Generation stage of face recognition?

  Individuals may know who someone is but be unable to generate their name.
• What evidence supports the functional model of face recognition?

  Patients who are not prosopagnosic but have problems matching unfamiliar faces.
• What did Bruyer et al. (1983) find regarding implicit recognition in prosopagnosics?

  Some prosopagnosic patients show implicit recognition of faces without awareness.
• What was the finding of Greve & Bauer (1990) regarding face preference in prosopagnosics?

  Patients preferred previously seen faces when asked about their preference.
• What was the outcome for patient PH in DeHaan et al. (1987)?

  Patient PH could not recognize faces overtly.
• What is the functional model of face recognition proposed by Bruce & Young?

  It includes covert recognition of faces.
• What is prosopagnosia?

  It is the inability to recognize faces explicitly.
• Can prosopagnosics show implicit recognition of faces?

  Yes, some prosopagnosic patients show implicit recognition.
• Who examined patient Mr. W regarding face recognition?

  Bruyer et al. (1983).
• What did Bruyer et al. (1983) find about Mr. W's recognition of faces?

  He learned correct name and face pairing easier without awareness.
• What did Greve & Bauer (1990) discover about a patient presented with unfamiliar faces?

  The patient was at chance when asked which face was seen before.
• What was the outcome when the patient was asked which face he preferred?

  The patient chose the previously seen face.
• Who conducted a study with patient PH regarding face recognition?

  DeHaan et al. (1987).
• What was PH's response when asked to classify a name as a politician or not?

  PH was slower at responding if the face was from a different category.
• What does the interference from face recognition indicate in PH's case?

  It suggests that faces affect cognitive processing of names.
• What physiological response was measured by Bauer (1984) in his study?

  Skin conductance responses.
• What did Bauer (1984) find when the correct name was given with the correct face?

  The skin conductance response increased.
• What are the two neural systems of facial recognition proposed?

  Conscious recognition via the ventral route and unconscious recognition via the dorsal route.
• What is the role of the ventral route in facial recognition?

  It is associated with conscious recognition.
• What is the role of the dorsal route in facial recognition?

  It allows affective judgment and changes in physiological response.
• Why is prosopagnosia considered potentially face-specific?

  Faces contain important social information but share similar characteristics.
• Who studied a patient WJ to determine if prosopagnosia is face-specific?

  McNeil & Warrington (1993).
• What did WJ learn to recognize after acquiring prosopagnosia?

  He learned to recognize sheep within that category.
• What did Riddoch et al. (2008) find about patient FB?

  FB had a recognition deficit confined to faces.
• What did LH struggle with in terms of recognition?

  LH was poor at recognizing faces and four-legged animals.