Oxford Handbook of Memory: Episodic Memory (Ranganath)

Episodic memory refers to the ability to recollect a past event. Episodic memory is thought to differ from other forms of memory in that it is organized according to spatiotemporal context and it is associated with the conscious experience of re-experiencing the past from the first person. In other words, episodic memory enables us to put together the relationships between people, things, and situations that characterize a past event, such that we can consciously recollect it later. In this chapter, I review evidence about the functional characteristics of episodic memory, the extended brain networks that support episodic memory, and how episodic memory may be related to semantic knowledge. I close by considering how episodic memory might be related to imagination and planning.