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A highly sensitive famous face recognition paradigm for prosopagnosia screening
Sarah Bate1, Emma Portch2, Olivia Dark2
1Department of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, BH12 5BB, Poole, UK. sbate@bournemouth.ac.uk.
Behavior Research Methods
|May 5, 2026
Summary
Screening for prosopagnosia (face blindness) should include familiar face recognition. An improved online task effectively detects developmental prosopagnosia, aiding diagnosis and potential remediation.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychology
Background:
- Traditional prosopagnosia diagnosis relied on famous face recognition, but this has declined with online unfamiliar face tasks.
- Omitting familiar face recognition may challenge the definition and diagnosis of prosopagnosia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate an online, automated famous face recognition paradigm for large-scale prosopagnosia screening.
- To re-establish the utility of familiar face recognition in diagnosing prosopagnosia.
Main Methods:
- Developed an online famous face recognition task using distractor faces and unseen celebrity images.
- Implemented automated scoring and validated multiple task versions for sensitivity.
- Assessed performance at different recognition stages using sub-scores.
Main Results:
- The online famous face recognition task demonstrated high sensitivity in detecting developmental prosopagnosia.
- The paradigm effectively screens for prosopagnosia and can be implemented in large-scale programs.
- Sub-scores provide detailed insights into recognition and identification impairments.
Conclusions:
- Familiar face recognition remains crucial for accurate prosopagnosia screening.
- The developed online task is a sensitive, scalable tool for diagnosing developmental prosopagnosia.
- This paradigm aids in diagnosing complex cases and guiding remediation strategies.
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