semantic networks

Meaning: A semantic network is a model of how knowledge is organized in long-term memory. Each concept is a node, and links between nodes represent associations (bird is linked to wing, robin, and animal). Activating one node sends activation along its links to related nodes, called spreading activation. Links between closely related or often-paired concepts are stronger, so those concepts are retrieved more easily.

On the MCAT: A passage describes a priming or lexical decision task: after seeing the prime "doctor," participants judge whether "nurse" is a real word. Predict faster responses to related words than to unrelated ones (bread), because activation has already spread to the related node. Questions may also ask you to read a node diagram, where shorter or thicker links mean stronger association.

Common confusion: A semantic network is not a schema. A schema is a mental framework that organizes expectations about a category or situation, while a network models the links among concepts and how activation travels along them. Semantic memory, the store of facts and meanings, is also distinct from episodic memory for personal events.