Is face recognition 'special'? Evidence from neuropsychology.

Is face recognition 'special,' in the sense of relying on functionally and anatomically distinct mechanisms from those required for other kinds of pattern recognition? A number of different neuropsychological dissociations involving recognition and learning of faces and nonface objects are reviewed. In addition, studies of the nature of shape representation in normal face and object recognition are reviewed. The evidence from brain-damaged and normal subjects suggests that face recognition is, indeed, 'special,' and provides some clues to the functional differences between face and object recognition.