Thursday, November 19, 2020

Are You a Super-Recognizer?

In this 10 minute podcast, cognitive psychologist Dr. James Dunn talks about "super recognizers." These individuals have an extraordinary ability to recognize individuals, even in cases where the encounter was very brief and many years earlier. 

Super recognizers are also adept at correctly identifying someone whose face may be partially disguised by a face mask or a hat or a new hairstyle. The ability is the opposite of prosopagnosia, the neurological condition better known as face blindness.

Dr. Dunn has developed a face recognition test to be able to find these super recognizers so that he can study them further at the University of New South Wales in Australia. At the website SuperRecognisers, there's a face recognition test that you can test your own ability. I got a 10 out of 14, which was OK, not bad, but not great.

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10 comments:

  1. nuumNovember 19, 2020 at 9:42 AM

    Mr. Gurney,
    I think that there was a typing error:
    https://www.superrecognisers.com/
    Thanks for the link.

    ReplyDelete
  2. nuumNovember 19, 2020 at 9:52 AM

    I got a 10, too :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. forrieNovember 19, 2020 at 1:46 PM

    I definitely fit in this category. I will forget your name, but even years later, I will remember your face. This happens many times to me.

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  4. Björn GschwendtnerNovember 19, 2020 at 2:37 PM

    12 out of 14 :-)

    Since I have drawn so many portraits in my life I often have the impression that strangers are familiar to me. It is very often that I think "I know you from somewhere". At least I think it is due to having drawn so many portraits.

    ReplyDelete
  5. ClemNovember 19, 2020 at 6:30 PM

    Dr Dunn's test is at facetest.psy.unsw.edu.au/
    superrecognisers.com/ appears to be a different research group
    SuperRecognizers (with a z) seems to be an ad page

    ReplyDelete
  6. James GurneyNovember 19, 2020 at 6:46 PM

    Clem, thanks. I think the link is fixed now.
    Björn, congratulations on getting such a high score. That's impressive.

    ReplyDelete
  7. widdlyNovember 19, 2020 at 7:21 PM

    Seems I'm quite good at recognizing white males. I'd be interested if their is a measurable cultural bias. Do we all look the same to foreigners?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Daulat NeupaneNovember 20, 2020 at 12:36 AM

    I got 12. Hmm. I think my history of drawing portraits must have something to do with it.

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  9. The InfectedNovember 20, 2020 at 10:22 PM

    Got 13 out of 14. And it felt very easy...only one had me unsure. Guess I better try some more tests.

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  10. My JourneyDecember 4, 2020 at 3:19 PM

    I got 11 out of 14. I'mn certain studying people's faces contribute to this score. If I had more experience of how people looked like when sideways and then front, I would be able to tell the difference faster. So, learning and experience. Of course, obvious differences, but like I said, sideways and front way can get you confused.

    ReplyDelete

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