Can you visualise people easily?

[WereBear]

It's not like NTs are so great at it. A famous group of experiments demonstrated that with a person asking for directions. In mid-encounter, they were briefly separated by two workmen carrying a big piece of plywood. When they rejoined each other, the directions-asker was a different person.

The more closely the swapped people resembled each other, and the more there was diversity between the directions-asker and the subject of the experiment (age, race, gender) the less likely it was that the person would notice they were not talking to a different person than when the conversation started.

 

[pjcnet]

It's not like NTs are so great at it. A famous group of experiments demonstrated that with a person asking for directions. In mid-encounter, they were briefly separated by two workmen carrying a big piece of plywood. When they rejoined each other, the directions-asker was a different person.

The more closely the swapped people resembled each other, and the more there was diversity between the directions-asker and the subject of the experiment (age, race, gender) the less likely it was that the person would notice they were not talking to a different person than when the conversation started.

Yes it would have been nice to compare a poll for NTs only to get the full picture, I thought about that, but there's probably not enough on this forum to get a reasonable result.

 

[Judge]

I'd just like to say that this website has helped me to come to terms with my rather poor ability at facial recognition. Something in the past I quite frankly never gave much thought about. Yet in looking back at certain incidents in my life long ago, I realize this is absolutely an autistic trait I possess. No question.

Though yes, I'm a bit embarrassed to have to admit it.

 

[AdultAspie69]

I can usually recognize people i interact with on a regular basis, but can't always put a name to the face. Or if someone mentions someone's name, i can't usually visualize what they look like unless i've seen them on multiple occasions and am told their name each time.

Forget about asking me to describe someone's appearance, or even their personality. I can't even describe my family members to others.

 

[The Midge]

I can usually recognize people i interact with on a regular basis, but can't always put a name to the face. Or if someone mentions someone's name, i can't usually visualize what they look like unless i've seen them on multiple occasions and am told their name each time.

Forget about asking me to describe someone's appearance, or even their personality. I can't even describe my family members to others.

I can put the wrong name to a person and find it terribly hard to relearn it. It is worse when I'm introduced to a large group.

 

[Joel's Hear]

When I was a kid I'd read books and though I could read well I would visualize the characters in my mind usually much different than described. I don't know why. But, I can often remember faces of people I've actually seen.

 

[Nitro]

I voted yes because I want this eidetic autie,non aspie who thinks in pictures to have a say gundammit

Of course this visual thinker remembers faces

 

[WildCat]

Easily. I'm good with faces, bodies and names - sometimes too good. Those memories do fade away eventually if I haven't been around a person in years, but for the most part I can keep dibs on returning guests.

Only thing I suck with is phone numbers and DOBs, can't remember those with a gun to my head. Well...I used to be able to do it as a kid, but now not so much at all. In this age of information where everything is stored on a smartphone though, that's less of a concern now is it not?

 

[Progster]

Tricky that one, because it's very circumstantial. I'm not usually so good at recognising faces, especially when they are out of context. I tend to remember people by the coat they wear of car they drive, rather than by thier face. I really suck at recognising people in old photos and that sort of thing. But it really depends on the circumstances - if I had a good look at the person and they had distinctive features, then I would be able to picture them and describe them. If I'm just passing by someone, or someone is in a shop, I avoid eye contact, don't look at their faces, look away and don't give them much attention, plus the pressure of having the police shouting at me and being overwhelmed by that - I don't think I'd do too well, either. It makes me wonder if NTs tend to look at people, even strangers, more than we do, for them to be able to remember so much.

 

[LucyPurrs]

An NT response: I can only easily visualize people I know. I'm poor at describing in any detail someone I had a casual and brief encounter with like a stranger in a store. I'm very bad at recalling names of new people I've been introduced to. Have to write down my neighbors names for example after the first introduction or I'd never recall them. But most of all, I NEVER notice or recall what someone is wearing unless it's an absolutely gorgeous dress that looks stunning on someone. When I was working, I used to worry that I had only 5-6 work outfits and that people would notice and think it strange that I wore the same things all the time until I realized I had no recollection of what anyone else was wearing so why worry about it?

 

[OkRad]

Tricky that one, because it's very circumstantial. I'm not usually so good at recognising faces, especially when they are out of context. I tend to remember people by the coat they wear of car they drive, rather than by thier face. I really suck at recognising people in old photos and that sort of thing. But it really depends on the circumstances - if I had a good look at the person and they had distinctive features, then I would be able to picture them and describe them. If I'm just passing by someone, or someone is in a shop, I avoid eye contact, don't look at their faces, look away and don't give them much attention, plus the pressure of having the police shouting at me and being overwhelmed by that - I don't think I'd do too well, either. It makes me wonder if NTs tend to look at people, even strangers, more than we do, for them to be able to remember so much.

I have prosopagnosia. Do you have this? It kicked in after an accident, but my mom has it, too. After the accident, people would come up to me and say HEy Okrad! And I had NO idea who they were...........it's great! Now when I go somewhere I don't have to be worry. Hahaha. Just kidding. I really don't mind it, though. It helps me not to feel like I have to be all NT. It helps me get back into my own world which, after decades faking NT, I am trying hard to do.

 

[OkRad]

An NT response: I can only easily visualize people I know. I'm poor at describing in any detail someone I had a casual and brief encounter with like a stranger in a store. I'm very bad at recalling names of new people I've been introduced to. Have to write down my neighbors names for example after the first introduction or I'd never recall them. But most of all, I NEVER notice or recall what someone is wearing unless it's an absolutely gorgeous dress that looks stunning on someone. When I was working, I used to worry that I had only 5-6 work outfits and that people would notice and think it strange that I wore the same things all the time until I realized I had no recollection of what anyone else was wearing so why worry about it?

Haha! That's awesome. Why worry , indeed! I wear the same thing EVERY SINGLE DAY. I mean, the colour may change. But it's the same all the time. I wonder if we were all in a room, people could pick me out. "There's Okrad, for SURE!" because I am so freakin bizarre. I am living on fumes, so I don't have enough energy to worry about it, either

 

[Progster]

I have prosopagnosia. Do you have this? It kicked in after an accident, but my mom has it, too. After the accident, people would come up to me and say HEy Okrad! And I had NO idea who they were...........it's great! Now when I go somewhere I don't have to be worry. Hahaha. Just kidding. I really don't mind it, though. It helps me not to feel like I have to be all NT. It helps me get back into my own world which, after decades faking NT, I am trying hard to do.

I can recognise people I see often or if they are in the place I expect them to be, but if they are somewhere else or change their hairstyle, I no longer recognise them. I haven't been diagnosed officially with prosopagnosia, but I think I might have it.

 

[Katleya]

I have prosopagnosia.

What do you call someone with prosopagnosia?

Spoiler

Nothing. They wouldn't recognize you anyway. Leave them alone!

I have prosopagnosia as well. One of many things that led me to believe I had a different puzzle to solve than most pictures.
I remember the first time I realized it wasn't that way for everybody, read an interview about a TV/radio host who had it. What? You mean other people recognize faces? My mind was blown. So I found other ways to remember and identify people, their voice, hair color, gait, anything that stood out that I could cling to, really. And nobody ever believed me when I said I didn't recognize faces, it seemed too far out. Except for one colleague 5 years ago, who was fascinated with that concept, but in a good way. And one day, she introduced me to a client as "Kat, who doesn't recognize faces so don't worry if later today she doesn't acknowledge you, she's not being rude." The client went: Really? I don't either! (And then my colleague was even more intrigued)

I don't know why I shared that. Just felt like doing so.

 

[OkRad]

What do you call someone with prosopagnosia?

Spoiler

Nothing. They wouldn't recognize you anyway. Leave them alone!

I have prosopagnosia as well. One of many things that led me to believe I had a different puzzle to solve than most pictures.
I remember the first time I realized it wasn't that way for everybody, read an interview about a TV/radio host who had it. What? You mean other people recognize faces? My mind was blown. So I found other ways to remember and identify people, their voice, hair color, gait, anything that stood out that I could cling to, really. And nobody ever believed me when I said I didn't recognize faces, it seemed too far out. Except for one colleague 5 years ago, who was fascinated with that concept, but in a good way. And one day, she introduced me to a client as "Kat, who doesn't recognize faces so don't worry if later today she doesn't acknowledge you, she's not being rude." The client went: Really? I don't either! (And then my colleague was even more intrigued)

I don't know why I shared that. Just felt like doing so.

I love the joke! It is odd and it's so strange you never knew......I was OK till the accident, but the neuro said it was not caused by it. She said I probably always had trouble, but now it's that I notice it more.

It was so bad for a while that I could not even tell if someone was someone I would see a lot. I still stay in the same places and don't go to a lot of new places, but that is not the Proso....that is just me, but it's easier! hehehhe. Going to a neuro tomorrow.............

 

[SameStars]

I have a little trouble with it, I'm worse with names though.

When I read the thread title I first thought it meant like visualising book characters. That's something I don't really do. I list the descriptive traits, but don't really picture it.

 

[Crossbreed]

What do you call someone with prosopagnosia?

Spoiler

Nothing. They wouldn't recognize you anyway. Leave them alone!

I have prosopagnosia lite. I can recognize people that I regularly associate with and celebrities, but not very well with others.

I can also recognize sculpts in my collection of heads.* They are pretty static. And can match still photos that I've seen before (but cannot visualize them).

*Prospagnosia is why I collect them in the first place.

 

[Gracey]

Curious thing is I have a picture in my mind of what all three of my children's faces look like, their expressions, eyebrow shape, nose detail, mouth shape, ears.
I can recall this information easily.
(Perhaps due to a twenty odd year study of them)


If I witnessed a crime or accident I could describe things in detail, clothing, hair, vehicle, weather conditions, gait, actions, even words spoken by others but I couldn't describe the area from the eyebrows to the chin .
(I'm going to presume it's because I don't pay a lot of attention to that area of a person)

Visualising my children is effortless. Like watching a film clip.
The rest of the world has foggy, blurry faces but probably an excellent tailor, great hairstylist, wonderful taste in footwear and sock patterns, dodgy posture, possible injury, something weighing heavy on their mind ? Or not. (In real time)
I won't remember the above information (in order to recall it) if I don't consider it important.

 

[Misery]

Yeah, I wouldnt be able to do it either. I can recognize faces, but cant visualize them well, and could DESCRIBE them even less.

I mean, me in a police situation, trying to describe some robber or something?

"Well, he had a face... it was definitely on his head, pretty sure about that. There were ears on his head, too. I think there might have been hair, or maybe that was a cat on his head, I dunno. Oh, and he was wearing clothes. What type of clothes? The... er... the type that you wear, that's what type"

Pretty sure that wouldnt go over too well, but I wouldnt get much further than that.

 

[Aeolienne]

I can remember the silhouette but the face itself is a blank sheet of paper for me. The only thing that helps me recognise people is the hair or sometimes eye colour. That's why, unfortunately, most black, Asian or Muslim people, especially women, look the same to me.

But Islam is the most racially diverse religion in the world!