Faces are special but not too special: Spared face recognition in amnesia is based on familiarity

▶ Recent findings have challenged a prevalent assumption in theories of human recognition memory, namely that the medial temporal lobe (MTL) is material-general, and is involved in retrieving the details of prior events regardless of the specific type of materials. A number of case studies suggest that amnesic patients can show spared memory for faces, while being impaired in memory for words. The current study examined recognition memory for faces and words in groups of amnesic patients, using receiver operating characteristics to examine the contributions of recollection and familiarity to performance. Consistent with prior literature, face memory was spared but word memory was impaired. Face memory, however, depended to a larger extent on familiarity than did memory for words. This show that face recognition may appear to be spared because performance tends to rely heavily on familiarity, a process that is relatively well preserved in amnesia. The findings challenge material-general theories of memory, and suggest that both material and process are important determinants of memory performance in amnesia.