I’ll take Semantic Memory for $100, Alex

“Get your facts straight!” This expression usually comes up in the context of debating someone about a topic in the news, your political beliefs, or even supporting your favorite sports team.  These “facts” are paralleled with our semantic memory.  I want to explain what semantic memory is, how it’s different from episodic memory, and an easy way you can challenge your memory right from the own comfort of your living room.

To be able to understand semantic memory, you must first know how it is defined. Semantic memory refers to a portion of long-term memory that processes ideas and concepts that are not drawn from personal experiences.  Semantic memory includes things that are common knowledge, such as the names of colors, the sounds of letters, the capitals of countries and basic facts acquired over a long time (Zimmerman, 2014).  To sum it up, it’s basically the facts that we have learned during our lifetime.  The sky is blue.  The first President of the United States was George Washington.  The 2003 Super Bowl Champions were the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (had to get that in there).  Semantic memory is recalling facts from our memory, not by experience, but what we have learned at one point growing up.

While semantic memory is recalling facts that we have learned, episodic memory is recalling events from our own individual lives. It is the recollection of biographical experiences and specific events in time in a social form, from which we can reconstruct the actual events that took place at specific points in time from our lives (Zimmerman, 2014).  Semantic memories are facts that we may know, but we’re not sure when and where we learned it.  Episodic memory is just the opposite where we can recall when and where our experiences happened.  Probably the most common experience that everyone can relate to is what we were doing when we first heard about the tragic events on 9/11.  I was still living in Nevada, which means that it wasn’t even 6am yet when I first got the call from my roommate at the time.  He was a local golf professional so usually he was at work by 5am.  I remember he called me and woke me up with the news, and I immediately turned on the television.  I’m sure we all have many experiences like this, events that we will remember when and where we were when it happened.

We have learned thousands of facts during our lifetime, but can we always recall them when needed? Here’s an easy way you can put your memory to the test beyond the classroom:  television game shows.  Nothing can boost, or torment, your semantic memory more than watching an episode of a show like Jeopardy.  The reason why it’s been on for so many years is because there hasn’t been a show that consistently challenges your knowledges of facts quite like Mr. Trebek has.  If you’re like me, you then always wait for “College Week” so you can give yourself a fighting chance.  Having said that, you can also tune into an episode of Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader, and you can be sure that the confidence you have in your semantic memory can quickly take an unexpected nose-dive.

I’ve explained what semantic memory is, how it can be compared to episodic memory, and an example of how knowledge of facts can be put to the test. So the next time you get into a heated debate with someone, just make sure you have your semantic memories straight!

 

Reference:

Zimmerman, Kim Ann. (2014, January, 29). Semantic Memory: Definition & Examples.  Life Science.  Retrieved from http://www.livescience.com/42920-semantic-memory.html

2 thoughts on “I’ll take Semantic Memory for $100, Alex

  1. abc5543

    Your explanation of Semantic Memory and how it differs from Episodic Memory was very clear, concise, and enjoyable. As I read more about Semantic Memory and Episodic Memory in chapter 6 of the course’s Cognitive Psychology text: Connecting Mind, Research and Everyday Experience, I also understood both memories to be part of the Long Term Memory that is considered Explicit Memory (also referred to as Conscious Memory or Declarative Memory) (E. Bruce Goldstein, 2014; chapter 6, page 156).
    Semantic and episodic memory is described as explicit because both “their contents can be described and reported” (Smith & Grossman, 2008).
    As mentioned in the Cognitive Psychology text, “the defining property of the experience of episodic memory is that it involves mental time travel – the experience of traveling back in time to reconnect with events that happened in the past” (E. Bruce Goldstein, 2014; chapter 6, page 158). As you reflected back on the events of 9/11, I began to undergo “mental time travel” as well. The most accurate details that I remember are that I had arrived in Seoul, Korea late the night prior to 9/11, and awoke early the morning of the tragic event to start my day. When I woke up, I turned on the news as I always did, and immediately saw the news reports of the aircraft crashing into the towers with all the chaos ensuing amid “Ground Zero.” I remember having a feeling of utter dismay, and I somehow knew that America as it was once known would never be the same.
    Oddly enough, as vivid as memories from an experience that tragic may seem, reliving an event through mental time travel does not guarantee accuracy as the situation is recalled (E. Bruce Goldstein, 2014; chapter 6, page 158).
    As the course text demonstrates, semantic and episodic memories are closely connected. As semantic memories are developing, episodic memories are also occurring at the same time; however, the episodic memories from the same experience can be lost over time, while semantic memories remain (E. Bruce Goldstein, 2014; chapter 6, page 159).
    When I think of semantic memory, I tend to cringe. Maintaining information (long term) has always been a struggle for me. The text demonstrates that semantic memory can remain long after episodic memory has faded; however, for me they both seem to fade quickly; semantic, more so than episodic. Talk about one’s confidence in semantic memory “quickly taking an unexpected nose-dive” when watching Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader… I’m certainly confident that it’s not unexpected! Since “semantic memory can be enhanced if associated with episodic memory”, (E. Bruce Goldstein, 2014; chapter 6, page 160), I’ll take episodic memory for $100, and then I’ll try my hand at Jeopardy.

  2. rbv5024

    Hi Jason,

    I really enjoyed reading your post. Thanks for clarifying the difference between semantic and episodic memory. I think your example of 9/11 for episodic memory was spot-on. Most everyone that lived through 9/11 has their own experience of what they were doing and where they were when they heard the terrifying news. I know I did. I was sitting in my classroom when all of a sudden, the teachers excused themselves in the hallway. Little did we know that the lives of Americans would forever change that day.

    I also appreciated your reference to television game shows when recalling semantic memory. It really is difficult to recall facts when your facts are challenged my daily life and constantly clouded by new knowledge. I have dealt with this many times. Here’s one relevant example I can provide: I often help my elementary school-aged cousin with her homework but more than I’d like to admit, I have to Google concepts to refresh my memory. These are all concepts and facts that I have learned and remember, however, my memory is clouded after years of not using this knowledge. Referring back to your example, it really is impressive that contestants on game shows have such a depth of knowledge.

    Rachel

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