The mnemonic functions of episodic memory

Episodic memory is the form of involved in remembering personally experienced past events. Here, I address two questions about episodic memory’s function: what does do for us, and why we have it? Recent work addressing these has emphasized role imaginative simulation, criticizing mnemonic view on which “for” remembering. In this paper, offer a defense by highlighting an underexplored function – namely, its encoding, storage retrieval type information more standardly associated with semantic memory. argue that healthy individuals, plays central prototypically information, analogous to played mind palaces method loci, may been selected reason. This suggests new directions studying memory, particularly nonhuman animals.