An investigation into person recognition across different modalities
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Single-case design investigating person recognition across different modalities
IRAS ID
170256
Contact name
Catherine Tunnard
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Z6364106/2016/04/51, Data Protection number
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 4 months, 1 days
Research summary
Brain injury can result in 'Prosopagnosia', a disorder whereby an individual loses the ability to recognise the faces of others. Little is known about the extent to which people with Prosopagnosia can recognise others through different modalities, such as voice (auditory), or by seeing the written name (visual).
In this study, a single case-control design will be used to test the performance of a patient with Prosopagnosia (Patient X) on recognition tests involving: a) pictures of faces; b) written names and c) voice recordings of famous and non-famous individuals. As a means of comparison for the patient’s results we will recruit a brain injured control group, consisting of 5 individuals who have previously, or are currently, receiving neuropsychological rehabilitation at the Oliver Zangwill Centre (OZC). This group will be recruited so that Patient X’s scores can be attributed to the location of her injury, rather than to more general difficulties that commonly occur following brain injury. A healthy control group consisting of 15 adults, of a similar age to Patient X will also be recruited. Patient X’s husband will also be tested as a comparison for her performance on recognition tests of personally familiar people (e.g. friends / relatives).
In familiarity tests, participants will be asked to decide whether they recognise the individuals or not (yes / no responses). In semantic categorisation tests, participants will be asked whether two individuals belong to the same category or not (e.g. singers, politicians). To answer this, participants would need to access their semantic knowledge about which category the person belongs to.
This study aims to systematically investigate recognition difficulties experienced by Patient X in comparison to control groups. It aims to clarify whether face recognition disorders are due to Prosopagnosia or due to a multimodal person recognition disorder.
REC name
London - Riverside Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/LO/0961
Date of REC Opinion
11 Jul 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion