Event Memory in Fact and Fiction

Abstract

Abstract Humans are able to bind together features of past events and use these memories to guide action in the present. There are many parallels between memory for real-life and fictional events: Both factual and fictional event representations share commonalities in how space and time are represented. Both are affected by emotional responses and by the prior knowledge brought to bear on events as they unfold. However, there are some areas in which memory for real and fictional events may differ. The parallels between memory for fact and memory for fiction, as well as their exceptions, support a proposal that memory for fiction depends largely on mechanisms that evolved to support retrieval of information about lived events. Narratives are ubiquitous in human culture, and they are often highly sought after. One reason for this may be that memories of fictions can help people better navigate the world as it is in fact.