Face Perception in Developmental Prosopagnosia

Abstract Developmental prosopagnosia ( dp ) is a lifelong face recognition deficit typically studied within the framework of cognitive neuropsychology. Although dp has often been investigated as a face perception impairment, little is known about how individuals with dp experience seeing faces. To address this gap, we conducted semi-structured interviews with six adults with dp to explore their lived experience of face perception. Interviews were analyzed using a descriptive phenomenological method and revealed a general structure characterized by dynamic oscillations between i) fragmentary perception of affectively charged features (e.g., eyes, nose, mouth) and ii) an atmospheric gestalt. This holistic atmosphere conveys relational and emotional content (e.g., familiarity, intent, mood) but is contingent on accurate recognition and susceptible to disruption by movement, cropping or contextual changes. These descriptions of an altered perceptual experience in dp contextualize existing cognitive accounts of dp and hold implications for the intersubjective and ethical role of faces in dp .