ABSTRACT
TODAM, an acronym for Theory of Distributed Associative Memory, is a general theory of memory that attempts to explain how we store and retrieve item, associative, and serial-order information. Item information allows us to recognise objects and events—names, faces, sounds, the myriad objects and events that make up the world around us. It underlies the feeling of familiarity when we see or hear them. Associative information allows us to remember the relation between two objects or events: lightning and thunder, the taste and smell of a particular food, or the names and faces of our friends. Serial-order information allows us to remember temporal order: the days of the week, the letters of the alphabet, how to spell words, or what our telephone number is.
