From Bob Cockshott
London, UK
Laura Spinney's description of the “uncanny valley” occupied by not-quite-human images was fascinating (29 October, p 28). Having acquired face-blindness (prosopagnosia) following a stroke, I see nothing strange about the large image you used. It looks to me like an ordinary photo of a young woman. Family members say it certainly looks odd.
Neuroscience researchers tell me I have normal object recognition and eyesight, but a severe deficit in face recognition. I wonder: do deficiencies in face processing in prosopagnosics have any bearing on the uncanny valley? Have face-blind people ever been tested in this context?
