  A related problem with Gerrig’s account is that if viewers really do  suffer from such mental handicaps as a matter of our evolutionary  makeup, then he lacks an explanation of why suspense diminishes for  many viewers. It would be strange to say that some of us have evolved a special cognitive ability to recall the outcomes of identically  repeating events when there are no evolutionary pressures for such a  trait. What seems to be the problem is that Gerrig has miscast the  kind of skill that is involved. As stated previously, our ability to  forecast the outcomes of familiar types of events can plausibly  account for our ability to remember the outcomes of familiar  fictional scenarios. 