The inspiration for this latest thinking comes, in part, from people with very poor memories, suffering from a deficit known as anterograde amnesia. You could meet these people and have a deep, involved conversation – but after 20 minutes they wouldn’t have the faintest idea who you were. “Something happens to them, but you come back 20 minutes later and they have no recollection of it,” says Robinson, who is based at the University of Liverpool.