Most of us can recognise our friends, family and co-workers easily. But what about the barista at your local cafe? Would you know them if they were in the supermarket at the same time as you?
Turns out not many people can easily place people who are less familiar to them - and if you can, then you might be what's known as a super recogniser.
A new test from researchers at UNSW Sydney has been specifically designed to screen the general public to see if they are super recognisers.
Super recognisers will likely score 70 percent or higher in the 20 minute long challenge. The average person will score around 60 percent - lower than the average in most facial recognition tests.
The reason people score lower in UNSW's test is because it is the hardest test on the market - it features 80 different people, and requires participants correctly identify faces, even with substantial differences in lighting, picture quality and age.
The highest result returned on the test is 97 percent, and out of 31,000 participants only 11 people scored 90 percent or higher.
But those who do manage to exceed expectations could be in high demand - researchers believe super recognisers could be useful in identifying criminals or used to discredit incorrect identifications.
One UK police officer put his super-recognition to use by identifying 2000 suspects since 2012.
Community support officer Andy Pope's talent for remembering faces has led to arrests ranging from attempted murder and thefts to sexual assaults.
Pope also became one of the first 20 people in the world to form the Association of Super Recognisers .
https://www.associationofsuperrecognisers.org/superrecognisers
