Face blindness is a cognitive condition in which people are unable to recognise faces, including those of people closest to them and in some cases, even their own reflections in the mirror. It can be acquired following head injury or stroke, but many more suffer from a developmental form of the condition and have lifelong difficulties in face recognition and social interaction. It is estimated that 300,000 children in the UK alone are affected, yet it is not currently recognized by the NHS.

Very little work has explored the nature of face blindness in children of any age, nor how it may fluctuate over time. It is possible that the condition may become increasingly severe with age, or that there is a critical age where we have the best opportunity to improve face processing skills. The current research work is therefore seeking to explore these issues and obtain a much greater quantity of data through testing for the condition in whole groups of children.