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LJ Braintrust: recognizing people?
Jan. 13th, 2011 03:18 pm Okay, I need some non-faceblind people to weigh in on something.
I have a character who is about to encounter someone he met, oh, maybe three or four times about five years ago. Though this person was involved peripherally in some really significant events in his life, they never really got to know each other. (They don't consider each other friends, or even really acquaintances.) He also is going to be about fifty feet away from her and he won't have a clear view of her face for more than a few seconds. She doesn't have any immediately distinctive features apart from her race.
How likely is it that he'll recognize her? Right now, I'm having him go, "hm, she's sort of familiar", which I think is realistic given the distance. Does it change the odds that he'll recognize her if she's standing next to someone who strikingly resembles someone else from that period of his life (which possibly adds some context)? He has a reasonable memory for faces that gets a workout on a regular basis.
Faceblind answer: not a snowball's chance in hell would I recognize this person. I'm guessing that the neurotypical answer is going to be different. :)
I have a character who is about to encounter someone he met, oh, maybe three or four times about five years ago. Though this person was involved peripherally in some really significant events in his life, they never really got to know each other. (They don't consider each other friends, or even really acquaintances.) He also is going to be about fifty feet away from her and he won't have a clear view of her face for more than a few seconds. She doesn't have any immediately distinctive features apart from her race.
How likely is it that he'll recognize her? Right now, I'm having him go, "hm, she's sort of familiar", which I think is realistic given the distance. Does it change the odds that he'll recognize her if she's standing next to someone who strikingly resembles someone else from that period of his life (which possibly adds some context)? He has a reasonable memory for faces that gets a workout on a regular basis.
Faceblind answer: not a snowball's chance in hell would I recognize this person. I'm guessing that the neurotypical answer is going to be different. :)
