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Towards a Theory of Thinking pp 147–160Cite as

Thinking and Memory

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Part of the book series: On Thinking ((ONTHINKING))

Abstract

Remembering the past is crucially important for cognitive functions, such as anticipating and planning future activities or thinking about one’s own self. In Tulving’s hierarchy of long-term memory systems, episodic memory is the highest one that is most likely uniquely human. One of the characteristics of episodic memory is the ability to mentally travel into the past and the future. Several brain structures are fundamentally involved in successful acquisition and retrieval of episodic memories. In particular, limbic regions and parts of the prefrontal cortex are associated with specific facets of episodic memory, i.e. processing the emotional connotation of personal experiences and self-relevant information. Additionally, other brain regions have important supportive functions in memory encoding and retrieval. Specifically, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is engaged in learning strategies and in metacognitive processes necessary for successfully remembering information stored in long-term memory. Both studies with brain damaged patients and investigations employing functional neuroimaging techniques have provided insights into the neural correlates that associate thinking and memory.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Psychology: Cognition - Unit Applied Cognitive Science, University of Duisburg-Essen, Campus Duisburg - Forsthausweg 2, 47048, Duisburg, Germany

    Matthias Brand & Hans J. Markowitsch

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  1. Matthias Brand
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  2. Hans J. Markowitsch
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Correspondence to Matthias Brand .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Parmenides Foundation, Kardinal Faulhaber Str. 14 a, Munich, 80333, Germany

    Britt Glatzeder

  2. Dept. Psychology, York University, Keele Street 4700, Toronto, M3J 1P3, Canada

    Vinod Goel

  3. Parmenides Foundation, Kardinal Faulhaber Str. 14 a, Munich, 80333, Germany

    Albrecht Müller

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Brand, M., Markowitsch, H.J. (2010). Thinking and Memory. In: Glatzeder, B., Goel, V., Müller, A. (eds) Towards a Theory of Thinking. On Thinking. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-03129-8_10

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