Preceded by a pre-talk for graduate students from 1:30-3:30PM in the Benjamin Library

Abstract: In this talk, I argue that the long-term memory involved in retaining an agent’s intentions over time and bringing them to mind again, when the agent needs it, is a special kind of memory. This kind of memory for intention is distinct from retrospective memory. Memory for intention has a distinct type of content, function, and cognitive dynamics. I provide an account according to which intentions are represented in long-term memory by information relevant for attention, motor execution, and the rational role of the intention in a larger goal-hierarchy. The account will provide us with answers to a number of prima facie puzzling phenomena concerning memory for intention.