Affective memory, is an element of Stanislavski's system and of Method acting, two related approaches to acting. Affective memory requires actors to call on the memory of details from a situation similar (or more recently a situation with similar emotional import) to those of their characters. Stanislavski believed actors needed to take emotion and personality to the stage and call upon it when playing their character. He also explored the use of objectives, actioning, and empathizing with the character.

"Emotional recall" is the basis for Lee Strasberg's Method Acting. "Sense memory" is used to refer to the recall of physical sensations surrounding emotional events (instead of the emotions themselves). The use of affective memory remains a controversial topic in acting theory.

See also

• Presentational acting and Representational acting
• Emotion and memory

External links

• Method Acting: sense memory
• Emotional Recall for Movie audiences: Using Stereoscopic 3D