Cited by 1,751Memory Processes and InfluencesIdentity, Memory, and TherapyCognitive Functions and Memory

Toward a theory of episodic memory: The frontal lobes and autonoetic consciousness.

Wheeler, Mark A., Stuss, Donald T., Tulving, Endel·1997·Psychological Bulletin

Abstract

Adult humans are capable of remembering prior events by mentally traveling back in time to re-experience those events. In this review, the authors discuss this and other related capabilities, considering evidence from such diverse sources as brain imaging, neuropsychological experiments, clinical observations, and developmental psychology. The evidence supports a preliminary theory of episodic remembering, which holds that the prefrontal cortex plays a critical, supervisory role in empowering healthy adults with autonoetic consciousness-the capacity to mentally represent and become aware of subjective experiences in the past, present, and future. When a rememberer mentally travels back in subjective time to re-experience his or her personal past, the result is an act of retrieval from episodic memory.

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Crossref · 10.1037/0033-2909.121.3.331

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156 of 156 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Autonoetic consciousness is of fundamental relevance to episodic memory, allowing one to mentally travel back in subjective time and recollect one's previous experiences.

    “He argued that autonoetic consciousness is of fundamental relevance to EM, allowing one to mentally travel back in subjective time and recollect one’s previous experiences [2,18–20].”
  • Multisensory bodily processing during encoding and remembering is relevant not only for conscious bodily experiences of self-identification, self-location, and first-person perspective but also for autonoetic consciousness.

    “Autonoetic consciousness is the ability to mentally travel back in subjective time and recollect one’s previous experiences [2,18–20] and the present data suggest that multisensory bodily processing during encoding and remembering are not only of relevance for the conscious bodily experiences of self-identification, self-location, and first-person perspective [36,37,39,44–47], but also autonoetic”

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Authors
Wheeler, M. A., Stuss, D. T., & Tulving, E.
Affiliations
Baycrest Hospital (CA)
Venue
Psychological Bulletin
Published
1997
Volume
121
Issue
3
Pages
331-354
ISSN
  • 0033-2909 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1455
OpenAlex
W2125216599
Cited by
1,751
References
156
Citations by year
2026: 20 · 2025: 47 · 2024: 54 · 2023: 42 · 2022: 41 · 2021: 62 · 2020: 52 · 2019: 64 · 2018: 113 · 2017: 62 · 2016: 60 · 2015: 56 · 2014: 73 · 2013: 75 · 2012: 84
FWCI
22.20
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Psychological Bulletin (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Identity, Memory, and Therapy
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
Keywords
episodic memory, autonoetic consciousness, prefrontal cortex, frontal lobe, memory retrieval, mental time travel, subjective time, autobiographical memory
MeSH terms
Adult, Attention, Awareness, Brain Mapping, Consciousness, Frontal Lobe, Humans, Mental Recall, Retention, Psychology

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