Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026
09:13
A Real-world What-Where-When Memory Test
Published on: May 16, 2017
Elements of episodic-like memory in animals.
N S Clayton1, D P Griffiths, N J Emery
1Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK. nsc22@cam.ac.uk
Summary
Scrub jays demonstrate episodic-like memory, recalling specific details of past food-caching events. This challenges the idea that episodic memory is exclusive to humans.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive ethology
- Comparative psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Episodic memory, the ability to recall specific past experiences, was long considered a uniquely human trait.
- Limited evidence existed for animals' capacity to remember unique past events and react appropriately.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether scrub jays possess memory capabilities that align with the criteria for episodic memory.
- To explore the nature of food-caching memory in scrub jays.
Main Methods:
- Observing scrub jays' food-caching behavior and memory recall.
- Analyzing their ability to remember caching time, location, and food type.
- Assessing their memory updating and social learning of caching sites.
Main Results:
- Scrub jays demonstrated recall of caching events, including 'when' and 'where' food was cached.
- They could update cache contents based on cache status and remember others' caches.
- Memory integrated location, content, and time, fulfilling criteria for episodic-like memory.
Conclusions:
- Scrub jays exhibit episodic-like memory, challenging the human exclusivity of this cognitive function.
- The findings suggest that key features of episodic memory may not be unique to humans.
- This research expands our understanding of animal cognition and memory systems.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory
Memory is one of the most vital higher mental functions of the brain. Memory is closely related to learning because it enables us to retain information and experiences from our past to use them in our present life. It also helps us to remember facts, events, and skills, such as riding a bike or swimming. There are two types of memory — declarative memory, which involves memorizing facts or events, and procedural memory, which enables us to remember how to do something like writing or playing an...
01:23Storage
A schema is a mental framework that helps individuals organize and interpret information. Schemata, formed from previous experiences, influence how we process new information: how we encode it, the inferences we make, and how we retrieve it. For instance, a schema for what a typical classroom looks like might include desks, a teacher's desk, a whiteboard, and students in such an environment. This expectation helps us quickly understand and navigate new classrooms without needing to analyze each...
01:27Explicit Memories
Explicit memories, also known as declarative memories, are consciously remembered, recalled, and reported. Studying for a chemistry exam involves material that will become part of explicit memory. There are two types of explicit memory: episodic and semantic.
Episodic memory contains information about personally experienced events and is reported as a story. An example of episodic memory is recalling a birthday celebration. This type of memory includes the what, where, and when of an event, as...
Episodic memory contains information about personally experienced events and is reported as a story. An example of episodic memory is recalling a birthday celebration. This type of memory includes the what, where, and when of an event, as...
01:14Autobiographical Memory
Autobiographical memory is a unique type of episodic memory that involves recollecting personal life experiences. It allows individuals to remember significant events from their past, creating a narrative of their lives. One interesting phenomenon related to autobiographical memory is the reminiscence bump. This effect refers to the tendency of adults to recall more events from their second and third decades of life — typically between ages 10 to 30 — than from other periods. This period is...
01:20Traumatic Memory
Emotionally traumatic events often lead to memories that are exceptionally vivid and enduring, sometimes persisting with remarkable clarity throughout an individual's life. A classic example of this phenomenon is a person who survives a car accident. Even years later, they may recall every detail of the event with startling accuracy — the screeching of the tires, the jarring impact, and the acrid smell of burning rubber. Such vividness contrasts sharply with how an individual remembers mundane...
01:19Role of Hippocampus in Memory
The hippocampus, a critical brain structure, plays an essential role in memory processing, particularly in the formation and retrieval of memory. This small, seahorse-shaped region is located within the medial temporal lobe, with one hippocampus in each brain hemisphere. Experimental studies involving lesions in the hippocampi of rats have demonstrated significant impairments in tasks such as object recognition and maze navigation, indicating the hippocampus involvement in both recognition and...