Clustering in episodic memory

Episodic memory refers to our ability to remember when and where events occurred, and specific details of events. A common view of episodic memory is that details of events are associated with a temporal context that provides a unique 'access code' to details in memory (for example, Howard & Kahana, 2002).

In our lab we have published a theory of episodic memory (Farrell, 2012). One important assumption of our theory is that our continuous experience is clustered into discrete episodes, and that information in an episode is bound together by associating it with a common temporal context. The theory accounts for data from episodic memory tasks (free recall) and working memory tasks (serial recall), including individual differences.

The project will extend the Farrell (2012) model and test its predictions. The precise topic would be determined by mutual agreement.

Possible topics include:

• Extending the model to other memory paradigms such as recognition memory and complex span
• Examining the influence of priorisation and reward on memory for clusters of information (where reward is known to enhance episodic memory; for example, Shohamy & Adcock, 2010)
• Understanding how episodic memory might support longer-term learning and extraction of statistical regularities

Most projects would include a mix of experimental work and computational modelling (full training would be provided).

For more background information, see the suggested readings below.