1. memory for socially relevant information. Examples include the ability to recognize other individuals with whom one has had previous contact, as well as the capacity to retain and recall specific details about people (e.g., names, birthdays, life stories) and various interactions with them (e.g., conversations). Social memory also is seen in nonhuman animals—for example, rodents are able to identify other members of their species and to distinguish kin from strangers. Studies suggest that the formation of social memories is linked to the pituitary hormones oxytocin and vasopressin, and neuroimaging has revealed that acute stress impairs the retrieval of socially relevant information, theoretically because of stress-induced increases in cortisol levels. Additional neural areas postulated to be involved in this type of memory include the amygdala, entorhinal cortex, and other structures of the medial temporal lobe as well as the hypothalamus.

2. see collective memory.