Abstract: Function of human memory, supported by the “design” (mechanism) of memory system, results from the adaption to environment. Thus, by inquiring into the adaptive problems in face of memory system, researchers could suggest solutions of the system, and finally verifies it empirically. This promising viewpoint is entitled the functional approach to memory research. Survival advantage (when recalling, participants perform better concerning the words rated for relevance to survival scenario than words encoded under other control processing conditions), the separation and cooperation of multiple memory systems, and remembering for future were exemplified to show how functional analyses could facilitate the understanding of memory mechanisms.

Key words: memory, functional approach, survival, multiple memory systems, future