Baddeley revisited: The functional approach to autobiographical memory

In Baddeley's (1988) classic article he challenged researchers to take a functional approach by asking, for their phenomenon of interest, “but what the hell is it for?” In twenty years, how far has the field advanced in addressing this question, particularly in examining the functions of autobiographical memory? This introductory article provides an overview of the functional approach. Next, eight core articles appear, each framed to address Baddeley's question. The core articles are written by experts on distinct empirically established autobiographical memory phenomena: each presents a synopsis of current research in their area and then examines the function that their specific autobiographical memory phenomenon serves in human activity and adaptation. The issue ends with two commentaries by scholars who provide analyses of the functional approach from unique perspectives. Revisiting Baddeley provides an opportunity for a current discussion of the strengths and challenges of taking a functional approach to autobiographical memory.