ABSTRACT
Environmental context-dependent memory is a ubiquitous memory phenomenon that is intuitive and easy to relate to everyday experience. It is also at the core of most cognitive theories attempting to explain human memory function. No memory theory would be complete without postulating a role for the processing of contextual information (see also Chapter 4) and a mechanism through which the reinstatement of encoded contextual information at retrieval contributes to item memory. Considering how important context is for memory function, it is perhaps not surprising that there is much debate about its role and the nature of its contribution. Understanding the role of context in memory function as fully as possible is crucial for many theoretical and practical reasons; among these, the need to understand the effects of age-related and neurodegenerative changes on memory function, and how this knowledge may contribute to the development of techniques and strategies for helping people with memory preservation.
