Effective Episodic Memory

It is commonly said that one cannot predict the future without understanding the past. While this used to be a oft-repeated phrase to convince students that the study of history was a worthwhile endeavor, recent research suggests that this phrase may be literally true. Since the dawn of psychological research, understanding how we remember has been a question plaguing psychologists. However, only recently have studies been done on how we can imagine into the future, and the means by which we predict future events. This review by Schacter, et al. compiles the results found from various memory studies to argue that the evidence indicates that our ability to think into the future is closely intertwined with our episodic memory. This review also sets out to identify the physiological structures
Schacter, et al. argue that the “core brain system,” consisting of the “medial prefrontal regions, posterior regions in the medial and lateral parietal cortex, the lateral temporal cortex, and the medial temporal lobe.” Rather than claiming that this area of the brain is solely devoted to the envisionment of the future, they put forth the “constructive episodic simulation hypothesis.” This hypothesis claims that future memories are constructed by fragmenting and reconnecting memories of the past. In other words, our thoughts about the future are simply an amalgamation of our experiences from the past. In supporting this hypothesis, Schacter, et al. go on to claim that semantic memory also, however, plays a role in the creation of future memories. According to Schacter, semantic and episodic memories work symbiotically to simulate future events, with semantic memories providing general schemata, and episodic memories allow for concrete