Using Art Therapy as a Tool for Rehabilitating Individuals With Prosopagnosia: Two Case Studies
Graduation Date
Fall 2004
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Document Form
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy
Degree Granting Institution
Notre Dame de Namur University
Program Name
Art Therapy
Dean
Lizbeth Martin, PhD
First Reader
Richard Carolan, EdD, ATR-BC
Second Reader
Carolee Stabno, PsyD, MFT
Abstract
Prosopagnosia is a rare neuropathological disorder characterized by the inability to recognize familiar faces, also called faceblindness. While much research has been done on the neurological basis of prosopagnosia, there is little research on therapies to treat the disorder (Francis, Riddoch, & Humphreys, 2002). Studies indicate that drawing can reveal brain damage, and can also remediate brain dysfunction (Cheyne-King, 1990). This study involved two prosopagnosic individuals to test the hypothesis that drawing faces can improve face recognition performance. Results indicated an improvement in recognition of photographs, but results were not generalized to day to day experience.