Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39278250›Full record

ReviewPhilosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences2024

Measuring episodic memory and mental time travel: crossing the species gap.

Eli Collaro, Robert A Barton, James A Ainge, Alexander Easton

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Modelling of What-Where-When Everyday Memories in Rats.The European journal of neuroscience · 2025
    Article
  2. Distinct mechanisms and functions of episodic memory.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2024
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Eli CollaroDepartment of Anthropology, Durham University , Durham, UK.
Robert A BartonDepartment of Anthropology, Durham University , Durham, UK.
James A AingeSchool of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews , St Andrews, UK.
Alexander EastonDepartment of Psychology, Durham University , Durham, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-6494-0080

Funding

Arts and Humanities Research Council
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Mental time travel is the projection of the mind into the past or future, and relates to experiential aspects of episodic memory, and episodic future thinking. Framing episodic memory and future thinking in this way causes a challenge when studying memory in animals, where demonstration of this mental projection is prevented by the absence of language. However, there is good evidence that non-human animals pass tests of episodic memory that are based on behavioural criteria, meaning a better understanding needs to be had of the relationship between episodic memory and mental time travel. We argue that mental time travel and episodic memory are not synonymous, and that mental time travel is neither a requirement of, nor an irrelevance to, episodic memory. Mental time travel can allow improved behavioural choices based on episodic memory, and work in all species (including humans) should include careful consideration of the behavioural outputs being measured. This article is part of the theme issue 'Elements of episodic memory: lessons from 40 years of research'.

Indexed as

Memory, EpisodicAnimalsHumansThinking4E cognitionhumanmental projectionrodentscene construction

Identifiers

PMID39278250
PMCPMC11449166

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.