Face Blindness as a Tool for Understanding the Function and Development of the Human Face Processing System
Kirsten Dalrymple
University of Minnesota

The human visual system is remarkable in its ability to piece together complex information from the environment to create a rich and coherent perceptual experience. Within this system, the human face processing system provides the machinery that allows us to effortlessly learn and recognize countless faces throughout a lifetime. Developmental face blindness (prosopagnosia) is defined by severe face recognition difficulties due to the failure to develop the necessary mechanisms for processing faces. In my talk, I will discuss my work on face blindness in children and adults. I will talk about what face blindness is, and how it affects children and their families. I will then discuss some of the studies that I have conducted to try to understand the wiring of the face processing system by studying abnormal face recognition in children. I will end by talking about some current studies that I am working on at the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota.