Do you remember faces?

Apparently there are people out there that are "super recognizers" they have an almost photographic memory.  It can lead to interesting jobs with the NSA and all sorts of other stuff.  An Aussie university set up a test to see if they could ID these super recognizers.

I took the test to see if I am.  I damned sure am not I guess I'm better at it than I thought though.

Takes about 20 minutes, you need to do it on a computer, not a phone.
https://facetest.psy.unsw.edu.au/UNSWfacetest.html

I remember friends faces from 1st grade.  Which would be 1984. Wonder if the NSA is hiring?

I'm better with faces than names.

stuart in mn said:

I'm better with faces than names.

Yup!  I remember faces just well enough to know that I should remember the names too.

39 years later........

I Graduated HS in 1980. The 1978 Homecoming King graduated 2 years earlier - I knew him as I was a sophomore but he really didn't know me as he was a cool senior.  Saw him at a party in 1979 - that's it.

In 2018 I'm at Home Depot and this guy asks me if I needed help finding something.  I look at his face then his name tag and instantly I tell him we went to high school together- I totally remembered him and I'm sure he was all WTF.  There's a lot in your computer brain in the back drawer. 

Sort of... but I often forget names.

Sounds, or images? Instant recognition. 

Brains are weird.

Edit: before we fall down the rabbit hole with "but the faces are images," I mean images of places or things. See? Brains are weird. 

stuart in mn said:

I'm better with faces than names.

This.   I can't remember names worth E36 M3

In reply to Grtechguy :

I know a lot of guys named Buddy.

Interesting. 

On the UNSW Face Memory Test you scored 26 out of 40.

On the UNSW Face Sorting Test you scored 47 out of 80.

Your overall score on the UNSW Face Test was 61%.

Faces I'm OK with. Names I'm OK with. Unfortunately, they are stored in different parts of my brain and never together. 

Coworker's buddy comes to meet up with him at work when I'm like 27. Instantly I recognize him from kindergarten. I'm like "John??" and he gets this embarrassed look and says his name is something different. Even back in K he was a little off, I can only imagine what he's hiding 

I can barely remember my own face.

In reply to iansane :

Brother, it's green with a big black stripe. This shouldn't be hard to commit to memory 

I'll never forget my dads face.  

 

I see it every time I look into the mirror.   Even worse if I grow a beard.   

GRM needs one of these tests but with cars and faces instead of names. I can totally go to an autocross and be like "yeah you had the Mariner Blue NA Miata in STS2 in 2007!" to random face with zero recollection of name.

Appleseed said:

In reply to Grtechguy :

I know a lot of guys named Buddy.

Bhahaha..

For me it's 50% real name (if their I.D. tag is facing out correctly), 25% Buddy, & 25% pal.

I guess I'm average with faces but I'm really good with voices...I'll hear a voice and say, oh, so and so must be your dad as I can pick up the nuances rolling from generation to generation.

I'm much better at remembering voices. Faces and names have always been difficult for me but once someone starts speaking, usually I immediately remember them. 

And like Jav said, cars. 

Javelin said:

GRM needs one of these tests but with cars and faces instead of names. I can totally go to an autocross and be like "yeah you had the Mariner Blue NA Miata in STS2 in 2007!" to random face with zero recollection of name.

This is so much my local BMW CCA chapter.

I remember faces better than names, but my face memory is average at best...

Yaaay.... I'm consistently average!

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:

Yaaay.... I'm consistently average!

Yours is almost exactly the same as mine.

Javelin said:

GRM needs one of these tests but with cars and faces instead of names. I can totally go to an autocross and be like "yeah you had the Mariner Blue NA Miata in STS2 in 2007!" to random face with zero recollection of name.

This is me with anyone, especially coworkers.

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

Question for you, what group did you find the hardest?  I feel I did incredibly poorly with the female, Asian, non-Indian faces in the test.  I'd love to see a breakdown of racial groups and how I fared with remembering them.  Makes me wonder if there is a link to how well you do and your background.  

It does invite interesting questions on their test, and the inherent bias of using a population similar to the local area, though.  Its kind of obvious that they used a population similar to what you'd find in Australia.  I don't remember seeing any black people, or any hispanic/latino groups in the test. White, Indian, and other Asian groups were the only ones in there.

Wonder if anyone on their research team has thought of that

I remember faces forever, but have no idea from where. Like I'll see a person in a grocery store and know that I know them from somewhere. It could be because we were at the same party or bar 20 years ago. Or maybe they were at the race track sitting not far from me 5 years ago, whatever. I used to sometimes strike up a convo with people like that to try and figure out why I know them but it was usually pointless. 

Javelin said:

GRM needs one of these tests but with cars and faces instead of names. I can totally go to an autocross and be like "yeah you had the Mariner Blue NA Miata in STS2 in 2007!" to random face with zero recollection of name.

You and me both.  I can't remember names worth a crap, and faces are only vague.  But I know what you drive, and all the vehicles you've had since I met you.

Appleseed said:

In reply to Grtechguy :

I know a lot of guys named Buddy.

I only know one. He's a hell of a guitar player.