Further advancing theories of retrieval of the personal past

In our target article, we presented the idea that involuntary autobiographical memories (IAMs) and deja vu may both be based on the same retrieval processes. Our core claim was thus straightforward: Both can be described as involuntary or spontaneous cognitions, where IAMs deliver content and deja vu delivers only the feeling of retrieval. Our proposal resulted in 27 commentaries covering a broad range of perspectives and approaches. The majority of them have not only amplified our key arguments but also pushed our ideas further by offering extensions, refinements, discussing possible implications and providing additional empirical, neuroscientific and clinical support. The discussion launched by the commentaries proves to us the importance of bringing IAMs and deja vu into mainstream discussions of memory retrieval processes.

Automated summary

This article proposes that involuntary autobiographical memories (IAMs) and deja vu may share the same retrieval processes, and the subsequent commentaries have amplified and extended the original ideas, providing additional empirical, neuroscientific, and clinical support.