ABSTRACT

Human memory is what distinguishes our mind from that of other primates and all the more from other mammalian species. Put more precisely, autobiographical memory is what makes humans “human” beings, giving them the ability to say “I” or “me” so as to distinguish a single, unique person who has his or her own life history, a present and an expectable future. On a yet higher level of abstraction, autobiographical memory enables individuals to position their personal lives along a continuum of space and time, and to look back to a past that preceded the present. This ability to undertake “mental time travel” (Endel Tulving) directly subserves the purpose of developing a sense of orientation for future actions. What was once experienced and learned thereby becomes the foundation for planning and conducting activity in the future.