Thinking in Pictures, but Faceblind?

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I want to hear people's thoughts.

-- Do you think in pictures? This seems to be a common description of autistic people Example, the intro to this Google Sketchup part says that about autistic people: http://sketchup.google.com/spectrum.html

-- Can you remember pictures of faces, isn't that what faceblind is?


I'm mostly curious if there are Aspies who know they do NOT have visual memory. They can only remember details such as measurements, estimated sizes, unique aspects - but more like a list than a picture.

Thank you.

Faces are complex, yet in a way they're all the same. I have trouble recognizing the faces of people also (it's very bad at work, once I mistook my boss for this other volunteer lady!), but I remember things like what style of glasses, hair, or marks they have on their face, etc.
So I think it's a 'detail' thing, we can't see the big picture, and a face is a big picture.

I don't think in pictures, most of the time.
Also pretty sure I'm face blind.

Hi TobyZ, actually I do learn visually, can cognitively build complex 3-D structures and rotate them about three axes with ease, solve position in 3-D space navigation problems second nature.

But now that you mention it, cannot recall faces at all well...

What is your hypothesis?

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I wonder if there might be a difference between visually observing the physical world and inferring the psychological world (who someone is and what they're feeling) from their face.

Is one part of the brain responsible for observing the non-human surroundings and another responsible for facial recognition?

Face blindness is known as "Prosopagnosia".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosopagnosia

I've read that people with this condition often try to identify people on the basis of physical visual cues such as jewelry, clothing or a distinct hairstyle.

http://www.prosopagnosia.com/main/likewhat/index.asp

Sometimes I think in structures.

I'm not face blind in the sense that I don't recognize people at all, it's just that I can't read facial expressions. I pay special attention to people (necessary habit) so I've actually heard I have a good memory for people. Good joke. Talk about overcompensating.

Yeah, I try to do that. Body form, hair style/color, voice, glasses or no glasses.... of course, it's easy to be thrown off by this too. Say if some one changed their hair color/style, or gained/lost weight....

Or if someone has a "look-a-like". (I hate that. It's gotten me into some uncomfable situations in the past...).

Position in space is peripheral vision, and processed in the upper-outer-aft "dorsolateral parietal lobes." Answers "where am I." This is why trying to get about a room while looking through paper tubes that block peripheral vision is so difficult.

Face/object recognition is central focal/foveal vision and processed in the lower-outer "temporal lobes" near the hippocampii. Answers the "what is it." It is why using it to determine position in space (paper tubes experiment; and instrument flight) is so difficult. Also why if forced to use peripheral vision, can't figure out what it is.

So for example, sun goes down we can still drive without too much problem (peripheral) but may not "see" the pedestrian (foveal).

But as for face vs. object...I don't know, I think these are both processed hippocampotemporal regions. But it would stand to reason there must be some differences in processing.

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For a time, I even questioned if I COULD think in pictures, but I guess I kind of always have. It is simply, outside of dreams, done in a way that isn't like I would see with my eyes. It is ALMOST like normal eyesight outside of the fovea. Although SOME people, which I assume are mostly autistic, CAN view in a way like the fovea, most obviously CAN'T! I can say that withouut fear of being contradicted for 2 main reasons:

1. They would probably have PERFECT memory. Most claiming to have photographic memory clearly don't, and most of the remainder DON'T have perfect memory. Such a memory would allow perfect drawings such as have been demonstrated only a few times.

2. Many "scientists" claim that even a real photographic memory doesn't exist. I KNOW that isn't true, but it cclearly shows that few, that have a chance to prove otherwise, have come forward.

MOST people aren't that easily recognized outside of the fovea. What that means is that, unless there is some attention to a particular detail, a person may FAIL to recognize the other person, or have a vague recolection. NT people LOVE being social, and will make such connections. Autistic people generally DON'T! Look at memory books at remembering people! What is THEIR method? "Remember some particular detail of the face!"

Oooh, yeah, it sucks when that happens. My arch enemy has a look-alike who is actually a very sweet person.;;;;

You know what I'm thinking, I'll just have to draw caricatures of everyone. D: It's so much easier to remember people if you draw them.

edit: LOL wait. I just remembered this one time I saw one of my school's life drawing models outside of school, and it confused the hell out of me because I knew her face better than the back of my hand but I was pretty sure she wasn't someone I had ever had a conversation with, so maybe my idea wouldn't work so well.

^I can't draw well for the life of me, lol. Also, most people end up just blurring together.... most of them look the same to me. DX

This is interesting to me. I've never related too strongly with the descriptions of Autistics and Aspies as having visual thinking; in fact, I identify more with overexpressed verbal and aural capacities. To me, this makes more sense along the lines of face-blindness. On IQ tests, for example, I often fumble with the spacial puzzles because it takes me a while to "calculate" or label what is happening; I do tend to attach words and labels to things in order to better understand them, but often fail to see how a system is functioning on its own. I have no trouble remembering very detailed information from a book, however; much of my learning comes through reading, and I've been a gifted reader from a young age. I'm one of the more hyperlexic Aspies, and this means that emotional cues from others fall short, since they haven't been encoded according to my linguistic model where everything has a concrete or discernible meaning. I'm downloading the program now to see how it works.

I don't think in pictures if I am thinking.

I do think in pictures if someone else is speaking.

I can not put pictures to books I am reading and if it's a long book forget the contents except maybe one or two things.

I can take mental snapshots but they end up a blur eventually.

I have faceblindness as well. If someone I don't know very well changes their hair style, I think they look similar to the same person but am not sure if it is the same person. Same with facial hair. I have to know someone well and know all of their different hair styles and facial hair. Also can't tell if one person I don't know that enters a new enviroment outside of their usual setting is the same person. I usually get it later.

I do like programs like google sketchup.

yes I do think in pictures. Everything for me is pictures. I have hard to relate to both written and spoken words

yes I am faceblind too. I can remember a situation together with a person but not who the person who was there looked like....

I think in pictures, but have face blindness. I can remember buildings interior and exterior really well but can't remember what the person I talked to all night in said building looked like.
For example: I can see the outside of Annandale Hotel. Now I can see the bar and the merch table. The stage is as clear as day and so is the lighting that was used. I met a photographer there and can't remember his face. I can remember what his camera looked like though. I can't even remember the good looking guitarist or the singer, despite having a photo of him on my wall. I remember what they were wearing.
I was only there 3-4 days ago.
I can also remember what the Jack Daniels Lounge and back room look like, even though I've been there once over 3 years ago.

However I can remember the face of a good looking boy on a train. I will never forget that face.

Wow....that is my experience precisely.

- Except no recollection of even what someone was wearing....!

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