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Cited by 19Memory Processes and InfluencesPhilosophy and Theoretical ScienceMemory and Neural Mechanisms

Learning from the Past: Epistemic Generativity and the Function of Episodic Memory

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Boyle, AS·2019·Imprint Academic
DOI 10.17863/cam.35867
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Abstract

I argue that the function of episodic memory is to store information about the past, against the currently orthodox view that it is to support imagining the future. I show that episodic memory is epistemically generative, allowing organisms to learn from past events retroactively. This confers adaptive benefits in three domains: reasoning about the world, skill and social interaction. Given the role played by evolutionary perspectives in comparative research, this argument necessitates a radical shift in the study of episodic memory in nonhumans.

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Boyle, A.
Venue
Imprint Academic
Publisher
Imprint Academic
Published
2019-01-31
DOI
10.17863/cam.35867
OpenAlex
W2911753372
Cited by
19
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2020: 1
FWCI
0.58
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • London School of Economics and Political Science Research Online (London School of Economics and Political Science) (acceptedVersion)
  • London School of Economics and Political Science Research Online (London School of Economics and Political Science) (submittedVersion)
  • Apollo (University of Cambridge) (submittedVersion)
  • Apollo
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Philosophy and Theoretical Science
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
Keywords
episodic memory, future thinking, reasoning, skill acquisition, social interaction, evolutionary perspective, comparative cognition, nonhuman cognition

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