Episodic memory and theory of mind: A connection reconsidered

Abstract

A familiar claim in the literature on episodic memory in both psychology and philosophy is that engaging in episodic recollection requires grasp of a theory of mind. In this paper, I re‐examine what connection, if any, there is between episodic memory and theory of mind. I first criticize the dominant way in which this connection has been construed theoretically, which has sought to link the possession of episodic memory with a grasp of the idea of representation, or the idea of informational access. I then argue for a novel, alternative, way of connecting episodic memory and theory of mind, which focuses on the role a grasp of the category of an experience might be seen to play in episodic recollection. In doing so, I also draw attention to a dimension of our understanding of the mental which is as yet underexplored in the literature on theory of mind.

A knowledge-first approach to episodic memory

“…However, that leaves open some important questions as to how we should think of the nature or relevant type of knowledge and, correspondingly, of the nature of episodic memory itself. One central such question is whether the relevant type of knowledge is just knowledge of the remembered event itself, so that episodic memory should be seen as putting us directly in touch with worldly past events themselves (Aranyosi, 2021;Debus, 2008), or whether what I have called the experiential knowledge of events that is preserved in episodic memory should be seen as knowledge about one's own past experience of the remembered past event (Hoerl, 2018;Soteriou, 2013). 35 While I feel unable to adjudicate this question within the scope of this paper, I think it is a genuine question -and one that is difficult to frame within the context of existing two-factor accounts of episodic memory -so it should not be held against the approach that I have out-lined that it raises this question, but should rather be seen as an important area of philosophical debate made space for by that approach.…”

A Review of the Historical Evolutionary Process of Dry and Water Maze Tests in Rodents

“…The direct sequence in the route-based navigation converts to automatic behavior and makes a part of the episodic memory ( Vorhees & Williams, 2016 ). The episodic memory consists of the ability to “the mental time travel” and review the past events ( Hoerl, 2018 ).…”

Individual differences in theory of mind correlate with the occurrence of false memory: A study with the DRM task

“…The ability to mentalise represents a key factor in memory development (Perner, 1991;Perner et al, 2007). This is particularly evident in explicit episodic memory, where ToM is involved in understanding the distinction between one's memory (i.e., the mental representation of the reality) and reality (i.e., what has really occurred) (Hoerl, 2018) and in the existence of a relationship between ToM and destination memory, defined as the ability to remember to whom a piece of information was previously told (El Haj et al, 2017). The existence of a link between ToM and episodic memory has also been corroborated by neuroimaging studies showing that the brain areas active during tasks that require the attribution of mental states largely overlap with areas involved in autobiographical memory (Buckner & Carroll, 2007).…”