Exam 3 Ch. 7 Semantic Memory

According to the Process Dissociation Framework, what type of task would an amnesic have trouble with?

tasks that require controlled memory processes

How do network theories of semantic memory assume that LTM is organized?

Assumes LTM consists of a large set of interconnected nodes. Each node represents a concept, not a word.

What are the criticisms of the Feature Comparison Model?

1. Explanations of phenomenon are after-the-fact rather than predictive 2. No feature is necessary to define many concepts 3. Restricted to sentence verification tasks and lack of a priming mechanism

What is a script?

A predetermined, stereotyped sequence of actions that defines a well known situation

What is Anderson's ACT and what does it stand for?

An evolving architecture for modeling human cognition, Adaptive Control of Thought-Rational

What is the structure of semantic memory according to the Smith, Shoben, and Rips Feature Comparison Model?

As a collection of lists that were ordered by a factor called definingness

What were the assumptions and predictions of the Teachable Language Comprehender model?

Assumptions- Semantic memory has a logical, hierarchical structure, Cognitive Economy, Retrieval of knowledge via intersection search Predictions- If searching across links is assumed to take time then TLC should take longer to verify some sentences than others, Sentence naming properties stored at different levels of the hierarchy will take longer than those stored at the same level, Category size effect

What is the difference between characteristic features and defining features?

Characteristic features are commonly associated with a concept but not essential to define, defining features are absolutely essential to the concept

How does the Spreading Activation Model differ from the TLC model? How is associative strength represented in this model?

Concepts are connected by associative links of different lengths. Short link-close association Long Link-more distant association

What is semantic memory?

General world knowledge

What kinds of information can propositional networks store?

Ideas that are larger and more complex than simple concepts

What is associative priming? (Sometimes called semantic priming)

Implicit (unconscious) activation of associations in memory

What is the difference between implicit memory and explicit memory? What kinds of tests would be used to assess each type of memory?

Implicit Memory is non-declarative, refers to long-term memories of experiences that don't necessarily produce any conscious recollection of the experience, It is assessed with indirect tests Explicit Memory is Declarative, it refers to memories that we have awareness of and can recall deliberately, assessed with direct tests

What were the problems with the TLC model?

It can't handle the Typicality Effect, Violations of the Category Size Effect

What is a production? What type of knowledge is stored in productions?

Knowledge of how to perform physical actions and mental actions

what is a schema?

Outlines of general knowledge that are stored in semantic memory

Which modules come standard with ACT? What is ACT used for?

Perceptual-motor modules-interface with external world, Procedural Memory Module, Declarative Memory Module ACT has been used to module human cognition in areas ranging from attention and perception to memory to problem solving and reasoning,tutoring, Evaluation of users interfaces, Cognitive agents in training simulations

Amnesics perform poorly on what type of memory test? On which type of memory test do amnesics score fairly well?

Perform worse on direct test (cued-recall), perform well on indirect test (word fragment completion)

What are the two types of memories that ACT can store?

Procedural Memory- represented as productions Declarative Memory- stored as chunks

What is the mental lexicon?

Refers to the "mental dictionary" which holds our knowledge of words, their names, and meanings

What is the difference between stage 1 and stage 2 search in the feature Comparison Model?

Stage 1- comparison is fast and involves a global comparison of how much the features in each list overlap Stage 2- comparison is a slow, item-by-item comparison of only the defining features of each list, and occurs only if the lists have an intermediate degree of overlap

What is a proposition?

The smallest unit of knowledge about which a true/false decision can be made

What is the difference between a type node and a token node? What kind of knowledge does each represent?

Type Nodes define a concept, correspond closely to the semantic memory component of long-term knowledge. Token Nodes represent a particular instance of a concept, correspond to the episodic component of long-term knowledge

How is semantic memory different than episodic memory?

Unlike in episodic memory, you usually can't remember exactly when or where you learned these things

What is a dissociation?

Variables which affect performance on direct tests fail to affect performance on indirect tests, and sometimes vice versa