Individual differences in episodic memory: the role of self-initiated encoding strategies

Individuals' abilities to form and retrieve episodic memories vary widely. Consistent with this, there are substantial individual differences in brain activity during encoding and retrieval that are associated with individual differences in memory performance. Growing evidence suggests that individual differences in self-initiated encoding strategy use play an important role in individual differences in episodic memory and brain activity during intentional encoding. This review examines the role of individual differences in self-initiated encoding strategy use in individual differences in episodic memory, and outlines the major findings of brain lesion and functional neuroimaging studies that characterize the neural correlates of individual differences in self-initiated encoding strategy use. The relevance of individual differences in self-initiated encoding strategy use to understanding episodic memory impairments and alterations in brain activity in clinical populations such as individuals with schizophrenia is also discussed.