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Context in memory is reconstructed, not encoded

Easton, Alexander; Horner, Aidan J.; James, Simon J.; Kendal, Jeremy; Sutton, John; Ainge, James A.

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Authors

Aidan J. Horner

John Sutton

James A. Ainge



Abstract

Context has long been regarded as an important element of long-term memory, and episodic memory in particular. The ability to remember not only the object or focus of a memory but also contextual details allow us to reconstruct integrated representations of events. However, despite its prevalence in the memory literature, context remains difficult to define and identify, with different studies using context to refer to different sets of stimuli or concepts. These varying definitions of context have not prevented it from being a key element of many models of memory. Within these models, context is usually explicitly encoded as an element of an event and processed through different neural pathways to other elements of the event, such as objects. Here we challenge the notion that context in memory is encoded. We offer an alternative where context in memory takes a variety of forms depending on the question being asked. We propose events are simply encoded, but the focus of retrieval (object) and context are not defined until recall.

Citation

Easton, A., Horner, A. J., James, S. J., Kendal, J., Sutton, J., & Ainge, J. A. (2024). Context in memory is reconstructed, not encoded. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 167, Article 105934. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105934

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Oct 26, 2024
Online Publication Date Oct 28, 2024
Publication Date 2024-12
Deposit Date Nov 1, 2024
Publicly Available Date Nov 1, 2024
Journal Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
Print ISSN 0149-7634
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 167
Article Number 105934
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105934
Keywords episodic memory, hippocampus, context
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3030991

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