What is "episodic memory"

n. 1 A subcategory of declarative memory, episodic memory is the type of long term, declarative memory in which we store memories of personal experiences that are tied to particular times and places. 2 (context psychology English) The system of the brain which stores personal memories and the concept of self. – Endel Tulving, ''The elements of episodic memory'', Oxford University Press, 1983. 3 (context advertising English) Key to understanding the concept of brand image, this part of the brain is accessed qualitatively, through projective techniques and quantitatively, through Picture Sorts techniques.

n. memory for episodes in your own life [syn: personal memory]

Episodic memory is the memory of autobiographical events ( times, places, associated emotions, and other contextual who, what, when, where, why knowledge) that can be explicitly stated. It is the collection of past personal experiences that occurred at a particular time and place. For example, if one remembers the party on his or her 6th birthday, this is an episodic memory. They allow an individual to figuratively travel back in time to remember the event that took place at that particular time and place.

Semantic and episodic memory together make up the category of declarative memory, which is one of the two major divisions of memory – the other is implicit memory. The term "episodic memory" was coined by Endel Tulving in 1972. He was referring to the distinction between knowing and remembering. Knowing is more factual (semantic) whereas remembering is a feeling that is located in the past (episodic).

Tulving has seminally defined three key properties of episodic memory recollection. These are a subjective sense of time (or mental time travel), connection to the self, and autonoetic consciousness. Autonoetic consciousness refers to a special kind of consciousness that accompanies the act of remembering which enables an individual to be aware of the self in a subjective time. Aside from Tulving, others named the important aspects of recollection which includes visual imagery, narrative structure, retrieval of semantic information and the feelings of familiarity.

Events that are recorded into episodic memory may trigger episodic learning, i.e. a change in behavior that occurs as a result of an event. For example, a fear of dogs after being bitten by a dog is a result of episodic learning.

One of the main components of episodic memory is the process of recollection. Recollection is a process that elicits the retrieval of contextual information pertaining to a specific event or experience that has occurred.