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Harvard University
May 14, 2026
Location: Crick Conference
Constructive Memory: Contributions to Imagination and Creativity
Imagination and creativity have traditionally been viewed as separate research domains from memory, but a growing body of findings indicates that they share underlying neural substrates and common cognitive processes. This evolving perspective stems in part from cognitive and neuroimaging studies that have explored the role of memory in allowing individuals to imagine or simulate future experiences and to think creatively. This talk will consider research that helps to characterize the role of constructive retrieval processes in imagination and creative thinking based on converging evidence from studies using cognitive techniques, functional neuroimaging, and transcranial magnetic stimulation. These and related findings provide the basis for new conceptualizations of how episodic and semantic memory processes contribute to specific components of creative thinking.
Norman H. Anderson Distinguished Lecture Series
About the Norman H. Anderson Distinguished Lecture Series
Dr. Norman H. Anderson, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychology at UC San Diego, provided a generous gift to establish the Norman H. Anderson Distinguished Lecture Series in 1998. Each year since, the department of psychology has been honored to be audience to internationally-renowned researchers in psychology. This annual event provides a forum for intellectually rigorous discussion amongst department members and a deeper understanding of the history and future of psychology while fostering academic celebration and collaboration. Further, the Norman H. Anderson Distinguished Lecture Series includes a tutorial on research methods and strategies for our graduate students, providing an invaluable opportunity to meet with and learn from a leader in psychological research in an intimate setting.
Past Speakers: Anderson Distinguished Lecture Archive