semantic memory

Examples of semantic memory in the following topics:

• Detail on Types of Long-Term Memory

  • Explicit memory can be further sub-divided into semantic memory, which concerns facts, and episodic memory, which concerns primarily personal or autobiographical information.
  • Another type of semantic memory is called a script.
  • Through practice, you learn these scripts and encode them into semantic memory.
  • Semantic and episodic memory are closely related; memory for facts can be enhanced with episodic memories associated with the fact, and vice versa.
  • Likewise, semantic memories about certain topics, such as football, can contribute to more detailed episodic memories of a particular personal event, like watching a football match.

• Long-Term Memory

  • Semantic memory involves abstract factual knowledge, such as "Albany is the capital of New York."
  • You use semantic memory when you take a test. 
  • Another type of semantic memory is called a script.
  • Through practice, you learn these scripts and encode them into semantic memory.
  • Semantic and episodic memory are closely related; memory for facts can be enhanced with episodic memories associated with the fact, and vice versa.

• Introduction to the Process and Types of Memory

  • Two other types of sensory memory have been extensively studied: echoic memory (the auditory sensory store) and haptic memory (the tactile sensory store).
  • Short-term memory is also known as working memory.
  • Explicit memory can be further subdivided into semantic memory (facts taken out of context, such as "Paris is the capital of France") and episodic memory (personal experiences, such as "When I was in Paris, I saw the Mona Lisa").
  • In contrast to explicit/declarative memory, there is also a system for procedural/implicit memory.
  • Summarize which types of memory are necessary to which stage of the process of memory storage

• Strategies for Improving Memory Quality and Duration

  • Memory gaps and errors refer to the incorrect recall or complete loss of a memory.
  • Because the memory process is so complex, there are many factors that lead to forgetfulness or distortions of memories.
  • By creating additional links between one memory and another, more familiar memory works as a cue for the new information being learned.
  • People are more likely to be able to retrieve a memory if they are in the same mood as they were when the memory was first formed.
  • Overlearning is a very powerful mnemonic for both procedural and semantic memories.

• Introduction to Memory Storage

  • Memory storage is achieved through the process of encoding, through either short- or long-term memory.
  • During the process of memory encoding, information is filtered and modified for storage in short-term memory.
  • In contrast to short-term memory, long-term memory is the ability to hold semantic information for a prolonged period of time.
  • In order to explain the recall process, however, a memory model must identify how an encoded memory can reside in memory storage for a prolonged period of time until the memory is accessed again, during the recall process.
  • Another type of memory storage, the semantic matrix, is used to explain the semantic effect associated with memory recall.

• Other Steps

  • There are four main types of encoding that can occur within the brain - visual, elaborative, acoustic and semantic.
  • Acoustic encoding uses sound information to create new memories.
  • This is aided by what is known as the phonological loop of working memory.
  • Semantic encoding is the use of sensory input that has certain meaning or context to encode and create memories.
  • Some strategies used in semantic encoding include chunking and mnemonics.

• Introduction to Memory Encoding

  • The four primary types of encoding are visual, acoustic, elaborative, and semantic.
  • This type of information is temporarily stored in iconic memory, and then is moved to long-term memory for storage.
  • Semantic encoding involves the use of sensory input that has a specific meaning or can be applied to a context.
  • Chunking and mnemonics (discussed below) aid in semantic encoding; sometimes, deep processing and optimal retrieval occurs.
  • Memory consolidation is a category of processes that stabilize a memory trace after its initial acquisition.

• Short-Term and Working Memory

  • Short-term memory, which includes working memory, stores information for a brief period of recall for things that happened recently.
  • Though the term "working memory" is often used synonymously with "short-term memory," working memory is related to but actually distinct from short-term memory.
  • It also links the working memory to the long-term memory, controls the storage of long-term memory, and manages memory retrieval from storage.
  • Information is stored for a longer time if it is semantically interpreted and viewed with relation to other information already stored in long-term memory.
  • This is a function of time; that is, the longer the memory stays in the short-term memory the more likely it is to be placed in the long-term memory.

• Types of Forgetting

  • Memory is not static.
  • Proactive interference occurs when old memories hinder the ability to make new memories.
  • Semantic cues are used when a memory is retrieved because of its association with another memory.
  • Memory retrieval can be facilitated or triggered by replication of the context in which the memory was encoded.
  • Both old and new memories can impact how well we are able to recall a memory.

• Levels of Processing

  • There are three levels of processing for verbal data: structural, phonetic, and semantic.
  • These levels progress from the most shallow (structural) to the deepest (semantic).
  • Each level allows a person to make sense of the information and relate it to past memories, determining if the information should be transferred from the short-term memory to the long-term memory.
  • Semantic processing is when we apply meaning to words and compare/relate it to words with similar meanings.
  • One example of taking advantage of deeper semantic processing to improve retention is using the method of loci.