Logo image
Knowledge without awareness: an autonomic index of facial recognition by prosopagnosics
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Knowledge without awareness: an autonomic index of facial recognition by prosopagnosics

Daniel Tranel and Antonio R Damasio
Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), Vol.228(4706), pp.1453-1454
06/21/1985
DOI: 10.1126/science.4012303
PMID: 4012303

View Online

Abstract

Prosopagnosia, the inability to recognize visually the faces of familiar persons who continue to be normally recognized through other sensory channels, is caused by bilateral cerebral lesions involving the visual system. Two patients with prosopagnosia generated frequent and large electrodermal skin conductance responses to faces of persons they had previously known but were now unable to recognize. They did not generate such responses to unfamiliar faces. The results suggest that an early step of the physiological process of recognition is still taking place in these patients, without their awareness but with an autonomic index.
Visual Perception Galvanic Skin Response Awareness Humans Middle Aged Agnosia - physiopathology Adult Female Cognition Face

Details

Logo image