a Clinical Psychological Science , Maastricht University , The Netherlands.
Memory. 2014;22(1):1-8. doi: 10.1080/09658211.2013.800355. Epub 2013 Jun 4.
It is without question that our memory system evolved through a process of natural selection. However, basic research into the evolutionary foundations of memory has begun in earnest only recently. This is quite peculiar as the majority, perhaps even all, of memory research relates to whether memory is adaptive or not. In this Special Issue of Memory we have assembled a variety of papers that represent the cutting edge in research on the evolution of memory. These papers are centred on issues about the ultimate and proximate explanations of memory, the development of the adaptive functions of memory, as well as the positive consequences that arise from the current evolutionary form that our memory has taken. In this introductory article we briefly outline these different areas and indicate why they are vital for a more complete theory of memory. Further we argue that, by adopting a more applied stance in the area of the evolution of memory, one of the many future directions in this field could be a new branch of psychology that addresses questions in evolutionary legal psychology.
毫无疑问，我们的记忆系统是通过自然选择进化而来的。然而，最近才真正开始对记忆的进化基础进行基础研究。这很奇怪，因为大多数（也许甚至全部）记忆研究都与记忆是否具有适应性有关。在本期《记忆特刊》中，我们汇集了一系列代表记忆进化研究前沿的论文。这些论文集中在记忆的终极和近因解释、记忆的适应功能的发展以及当前我们的记忆所采取的进化形式带来的积极后果等问题上。在这篇介绍性文章中，我们简要概述了这些不同的领域，并指出了它们对于更完整的记忆理论的重要性。此外，我们还认为，通过在记忆进化领域采取更实用的立场，该领域的众多未来方向之一可能是一个新的心理学分支，该分支解决进化法律心理学中的问题。
