How ‘Event Scripts’ Structure Our Personal Memories
1 min read
Summary
Christopher Baldassano is a neuroscientist at Columbia University who has developed a new computational approach that reveals hidden structure in data taken from functional MRI (fMRI) brain scans.
He uses the approach to study how the brain’s “event scripts” influence the way specific details are recalled during the recall of autobiographical memories.
The results reveal that the brain doesn’t simply record what it perceives, instead it processes the present through past experiences.
The study also showed that people have some level of control over what they remember and can even adopt a mindset that predisposes them to remember particular details of an event.
The study could also help to treat memory disorders.
