Lecture by Yee Lee Shing: Episodic Memory
Across the Lifespan

Episodic memory (EM) refers to memory about events that are bound to specific times and places in the past. It allows humans to re‐ experience multiple aspects of events that happened from minutes to years ago. The ability to remember past experiences increases during childhood and declines in old age. At first sight, it may appear that changes in adulthood are a reversal or mirror image of changes during childhood. However, the development of EM (and cognition in general) can be driven by a constellation of factors, including changes in brain mechanisms and accumulation of knowledge. In my presentation, I will provide an overview of some of the driving forces behind memory functioning across different age periods. Furthermore, it is increasingly recognized that memory is not only important for remembering past experiences but also serves predictive functions for the future. I will outline some of our ongoing work that aims at examining memory mechanisms that underlie the brain’s predictive processing.