Abstract
Drawing on ideas from philosophy (in particular, epistemology), I argue that one of
memory’s most important functions is to provide its owner with knowledge of the
physical world. This knowledge helps satisfy the organism’s need to confer stability on an
ever-changing reality so the objects in which it consists can be identified and reidentified.
I then draw a distinction between sources of knowledge (i.e., from physical vs. subjective
reality) and argue—based on evolutionary principles—that because memory was designed
by natural selection to interface with the physical world, knowledge acquired via
sensory/perceptual experiences should be better remembered than internally generated
knowledge made available by introspection. A study conducted to test this hypothesis
provides support. I conclude that a serious interdisciplinary approach to issues typically
considered the purview of psychology best enables researchers to craft well-specified,
theoretically based hypotheses that directly target functions of the mind.