Topic
The Purpose of Memory
Instructions
What is the purpose of memory? How would your life be different if you no longer had access to your personal (autobiographical) memories? Knowing that memory is reconstructive in nature, describe a situation where you feel your memory might have been altered from the original event and explain why you might have altered the original memory. Do you find the fact that memory is not always accurate surprising?
Answer Preview
An individual who has no access to personal or autobiographical memories cannot adapt to social situations or navigate social relationships. This is because the brain regions which are responsible for personal memories are tasked with recalling previous experiences which make it possible for an individual to imagine another person’s experience (Hassabis et al., 2014). It is these very processes that allow an individual to empathize with others. According to Lindner et al. (2012), people merge together their personal memories during social interactions in order to foster collective identity. This means that the loss of personal memory could also result in the loss of personal boundaries.
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