1. Conway’s Model
The Self Memory System (SMS) has two principle components:-
1. Autobiographical knowledge base
organised specifically to support our sense of self
2. The (working) Self
comprises a goal hierarchy, and various other internal mechanisms
(Download the Conway (2005) PDF from my webpage )

2. ‘Self’ Autobiographical Knowledge Base Self-related semantic knowledge
Abstracted from specific
experiences
Episodic Memory tied to specific experiences
(e.g. the CMF) .
Encoding
Consolidation
Retrieval

3. Take a peek inside yourself…
Goal Hierarchy
Episodic Memory
(CMF)
Autobiographical Knowledge Base
Conceptual Self .
semantic knowledge
Key point: the SMS system is ‘goal-driven’

4. The SMS greatly extends the CMF
Conway: “all daily experiences are destined to be forgotten”
Unless they support longer-term goals
In the short term, accurate memories are vital
Where did I leave my keys
In the long-term, coherence (between goals) is vital
The ‘Husband-Hermit’ or ‘Saint-Sinner’ dilemma

5. SMS Goals But: there is an accuracy-coherence trade-off!
Short term (e.g. daily)
Take the car for a service…
Find the keys…
Post the letter…
Overriding principle: accuracy!
Long-term
Get a job
Learn how to drive
Buy a house
Become a solitary religious hermit
Be a loving husband
Overriding principle: coherence
Potential for conflict!
But: there is an accuracy-coherence trade-off!

6. How is the trade-off achieved?
Goal Hierarchy
Eat and drink (everyday)
Keep warm (everyday)
Have a conversation (most days)
Watch TV (particular times)
Find the car keys (in 5 minutes)
Avoid tripping up (when I walk)
Post the letter (sometime today)
Dentist appointment (this week)
Revise (next month)
Obtain graduation ball tickets (next few months)
Find a less annoying partner (yesterday!)
Get a 2:1 (next couple of years)
Loose weight (before going on holiday)
The goal hierarchy acts to maintain a stable and coherent set of short and long term goals
The goal hierachy is dynamic – at different times, different goals become activated. To the extent that this could produce conflicting demands on behaviour, the goal hierarchy needs to maintain a certain coherence among the goals.

7. The SMS: key points
New memories are not formed ‘automatically’ from our experiences
But, experiences are always encoded (e.g. as per the CMF).
An ABM is formed (and retrieved) only when the (working) self interacts with the autobiographical knowledge base
Such interactions are entirely goal-driven
Hence, specific experiences will be forgotten unless they relevant to a goal - within the goal hierarchy
Stable self-image emerges from the coherence imposed by the goal hierarchy, perhaps at the expense of accuracy