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Updated: Jan 10, 2026
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Modeling the Functional Network for Spatial Navigation in the Human Brain
Published on: October 13, 2023
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No Association Between Face Recognition and Spatial Navigation: Evidence from Developmental Prosopagnosia and
Alejandro J Estudillo1, Olivia Dark1, Jan M Wiener1
1School of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus, Poole House, Poole BH12 5BB, UK.
Brain Sciences
|November 27, 2025
Summary
This study investigated the link between face recognition and spatial navigation skills. Findings suggest these abilities are distinct, as performance in navigation tasks did not significantly differ between individuals with developmental prosopagnosia, super-recognizers, and controls.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Human Psychology
Background:
- Previous research suggests a potential link between prosopagnosia and spatial navigation abilities.
- The nature of this association (coincidental vs. interdependent) remains unclear across the spectrum of face recognition skills.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between face recognition and spatial navigation skills.
- To examine this relationship in individuals with developmental prosopagnosia (DPs), super-recognizers (SRs), and control participants.
Main Methods:
- A route-learning task was administered to 18 DPs, 16 SRs, and 28 controls.
- Participants memorized a route from a first-person perspective, followed by assessments of route repetition and retracing.
Main Results:
- Group analyses revealed comparable performance in route repetition and retracing across all three participant groups.
- Single-case analyses indicated that only a small number of DPs and SRs performed below control levels in route retracing.
Conclusions:
- The findings do not support a direct association between spatial navigation and face recognition.
- These cognitive abilities appear to be independent skills.
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