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Word Association and Semantic Memory: How Linked Ideas Help Recall
How connecting related words can help you find words faster, and how MindChain uses that idea.
Key Research Takeaways
- Words are linked in memory by meaning, so one word can make related words easier to recall.
- MindChain asks you to connect words through a shared theme, which practises this kind of linking.
- Starting from an obvious link and moving to less obvious ones is a useful way to build a chain.
Meaning-based memory
Psychologists describe semantic memory as the store of word meanings and the relationships between them. In a model proposed by Allan Collins and Elizabeth Loftus in 1975, activating one concept spreads to related concepts. DOCTOR and NURSE are closely linked, while DOCTOR and GALAXY are far apart.
How MindChain uses links
In MindChain you move from one word to the next through a theme. Each step is a link in the chain. Early links are often obvious, and the strongest chains use less obvious links that still make sense.
Recall and everyday words
The feeling that a word is on the tip of your tongue is common. Thinking about related words, such as its category, its use, or a word that starts the same way, often brings it back. Word games give that kind of practice, but they are not a treatment for word-finding problems.
Put This Theory Into Practice
Experience these cognitive mechanisms firsthand with Smotix's free daily brain puzzles: