What is Prosopagnosia (face blindness)?
Prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness, is a condition where people find it difficult to recognise faces, even those of close friends and family. It can range from mild to severe, and can affect social life, school, and work.
Downloadable Materials
We’ve created free factsheets to raise awareness of prosopagnosia using insights from our research with individuals who live with this condition. These were co-developed with experts in education and clinical psychology and also experts by experience. Before downloading, we’ll ask you a few short questions. This helps us understand who is using the resources and how they are making a difference.
We have developed 7 factsheets with information for:
- People living with prosopagnosia (including tips and tricks from others with the condition)
- Young people with prosopagnosia
- Friends and family members
- Parents and carers of children with prosopagnosia
- Classroom and support for learning teachers
- Employers and colleagues
Our Research
Media coverage
- Article in The Conversation: Even mild face blindness can cause serious difficulties in daily life – new study.
- Podcast episode for teachers: Who are you? Face blindness in the classroom.
Academic papers
- Lowes, J., McGregor, L. M., Hancock, P. J., Duchaine, B., & Bobak, A. K. (2025). This condition impacts every aspect of my life: A survey to understand the experience of living with developmental prosopagnosia. PloS one, 20(4), e0322469. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0322469
- Lowes, J., Hancock, P. J., & Bobak, A. K. (2024). Evidence for different visual processing strategy for non-face stimuli in developmental prosopagnosia. Visual Cognition, 32(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/13506285.2024.2359743
- For more publications, see Judith Lowes’ profiles on the University of Stirling and ORCID.
Non-academic research summaries
Research Summary: Living with Poor Face Recognition (2025)
Research Summary: Exploring Face Recognition Study (2024)
Get involved!
If you or someone you know has difficulty recognising faces and would like to take part in our research, please get in touch!
Contact: Dr Judith Lowes – judith.lowes@stir.ac.uk