A spreading-activation theory of semantic processing.
Abstract
This paper presents a spreading-acti vation theory of human semantic processing, which can be applied to a wide range of recent experimental results. The theory is based on Quillian's theory of semantic memory search and semantic preparation, or priming. In conjunction with this, several of the miscondeptions concerning Qullian's theory are discussed. A number of additional assumptions are proposed for his theory in order to apply it to recent experiments. The present paper shows how the extended theory can account for results of several production experiments by Loftus, Juola and Atkinson's multiple-category experiment, Conrad's sentence-verification experiments, and several categorization experiments on the effect of semantic relatedness and typicality by Holyoak and Glass, Rips, Shoben, and Smith, and Rosch. The paper also provides a critique of the Smith, Shoben, and Rips model for categorization judgments. Some years ago, Quillian1 (1962, 1967) proposed a spreading-acti vation theory of human semantic processing that he tried to implement in computer simulations of memory search (Quillian, 1966) and comprehension (Quillian, 1969). The theory viewed memory search as activation spreading from two or more concept nodes in a semantic network until an intersection was found. The effects of preparation (or priming) in semantic memory were also explained in terms of spreading activation from the node of the primed concept. Rather than a theory to explain data, it was a theory d…
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Human memory retrieval is not a search process, but a propagation of energy; accessing one concept naturally activates semantically, temporally, or causally linked concepts without explicit prompting.
“which posit that human memory retrieval is not a search process, but a propagation of energy. Accessing one concept naturally activates semantically, temporally, or causally linked concepts without explicit prompting.”
From Synapse: Empowering LLM Agents with Episodic-Semantic Memory via Spreading Activation (2026) · cites this paper as Collins and Loftus, 1975
Human semantic memory models (Collins and Loftus, 1975) inspire the dynamic activation process for prioritizing information.
“Inspired by human semantic memory models (Collins and Loftus, 1975), we implement a dynamic activation process to prioritize information.”
From Synapse: Empowering LLM Agents with Episodic-Semantic Memory via Spreading Activation (2026) · cites this paper as Collins and Loftus, 1975
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“For instance, according to the spreading activation model established by pioneering work of psychologists Collins and Loftus [61], providing an individual with a cue word activates a cognitive process acting on a network representation, such that concepts are nodes linked together via conceptual…”
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Jiang, H., Chen, J., Pan, Y., Chen, L., You, W., Zhou, Y., Zhang, R., Abate, Y., & Liu, T. (2026) · Findings of the Association for Computational Linguistics: ACL 2026 · doi:10.18653/v1/2026.findings-acl.1108
- Authors
- Collins, A. M., & Loftus, E. F.
- ORCID
- Loftus, Elizabeth F.
- Venue
- Psychological Review
- Published
- 1975-11
- Volume
- 82
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 407-428
- ISSN
- 0033-295X (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1471
- OpenAlex
- W2135255848
- Cited by
- 8,141
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 200 · 2025: 216 · 2024: 190 · 2023: 275 · 2022: 270 · 2021: 264 · 2020: 301 · 2019: 316 · 2018: 260 · 2017: 272 · 2016: 252 · 2015: 312 · 2014: 397 · 2013: 307 · 2012: 288
- FWCI
- 30.31
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Review (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Categorization, perception, and language
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
- Keywords
- semantic processing, semantic memory, semantic priming, semantic networks, categorization, typicality, semantic relatedness, sentence verification, production experiment
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