Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Mnemonic Devices

Mnemonic Devices

Mnemonic devices are cognitive tools that facilitate memory retention by linking new information to familiar patterns or organizational strategies. These techniques are beneficial for remembering complex or lengthy sets of information by simplifying and structuring them in easily retrievable ways.
Acronyms
Acronyms are created by using the initial letters of a series of words to form a new word or phrase. This approach condenses complex information into a single, memorable entity. For example,...

Storage

Storage

A schema is a mental framework that helps individuals organize and interpret information. Schemata, formed from previous experiences, influence how we process new information: how we encode it, the inferences we make, and how we retrieve it. For instance, a schema for what a typical classroom looks like might include desks, a teacher's desk, a whiteboard, and students in such an environment. This expectation helps us quickly understand and navigate new classrooms without needing to analyze each...

Forgetting

Forgetting

Forgetting is an intrinsic aspect of human memory, characterized by the gradual loss or inaccessibility of information over time. Hermann Ebbinghaus, a pioneering psychologist, extensively studied this phenomenon and formulated the forgetting curve. This curve illustrates that memory loss occurs rapidly immediately after learning and then decelerates over time. Several mechanisms contribute to forgetting, including encoding failure, storage decay, retrieval failure, and interference.
Encoding...

Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory

Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory

Improving short-term memory can be achieved through techniques like chunking and rehearsal. Chunking involves organizing information into larger, more manageable units. This technique is particularly useful for information that exceeds the typical memory span of between five and nine items. For instance, logging into an online account with a password like "ta89vq0179gz" involves grouping letters and numbers into three chunks—ta89, vq01, and 79gz. It makes large amounts of information more...

Retrieval

Retrieval

Retrieval is the process of getting information out of memory storage and back into conscious awareness. This ability is essential for daily tasks like brushing hair and teeth, driving to work, and performing job duties. Retrieval occurs in three ways: recall, recognition, and relearning.
Recall involves accessing information without cues, such as during an essay test, where individuals must retrieve facts and concepts from memory unaided. Another example is remembering the name of a colleague...

Tip-of-the-Tongue Phenomenon

Tip-of-the-Tongue Phenomenon

The tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) phenomenon is a cognitive experience characterized by a temporary inability to retrieve specific information from memory despite having a strong feeling of knowing the information. Although individuals cannot access the target word or detail, they frequently recall related elements, such as its initial letter, syllable count, or context. This partial retrieval often causes frustration, as one might recognize a familiar face or know that a name starts with a specific...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Memory for the pragmatic implications of sentences.

Memory & cognition·2013

Same author

Recall of logical and pragmatic implications in sentences with dichotomous and continuous antonyms.

Memory & cognition·2011

Same author

Reports of mental imagery in retrieval from long-term memory.

Consciousness and cognition·1996

Same author

Charles Egerton Osgood: 1916-1991.

The American journal of psychology·1994

Same author

Reconstructive remembering of the scientific literature.

Cognition·1993

Same author

Visual memory, verbal encoding and hemispheric localization.

Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior·1969

Same journal

The properties of personal semantics.

Memory & cognition·2026

Same journal

Music enhances associative generalization: Evidence from a memory integration task.

Memory & cognition·2026

Same journal

Video, text, and memory: An emotional verbal overshadowing effect.

Memory & cognition·2026

Same journal

Limited protective effects of multilingualism against age-related cognitive decline.

Memory & cognition·2026

Same journal

Validation of illustrated texts: Can pictures raise awareness of inconsistencies?

Memory & cognition·2026

Same journal

4I remember (and forget) your happy smiling face: Directed forgetting of emotionally expressive faces of in-group and out-group members.

Memory & cognition·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 4, 2026

The Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) Task: A Simple Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate False Memories in the Laboratory

The Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) Task: A Simple Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate False Memories in the Laboratory

Published on: January 31, 2017

Memory for ideas: Synonym substitution.

¹Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Psychology Building, 61820, Champaign, Illinois.

Memory & Cognition

|February 3, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Memory for sentences involves abstract representations, not just word associations or images. Studies show frequent synonym substitutions in recall, supporting the idea that we remember sentence meaning (ideas) rather than exact wording.

More Related Videos

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

Published on: February 19, 2018

Using a Classroom-Based Deese Roediger McDermott Paradigm to Assess the Effects of Imagery on False Memories

Using a Classroom-Based Deese Roediger McDermott Paradigm to Assess the Effects of Imagery on False Memories

Published on: November 14, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 4, 2026

The Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) Task: A Simple Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate False Memories in the Laboratory

The Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) Task: A Simple Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate False Memories in the Laboratory

Published on: January 31, 2017

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

Published on: February 19, 2018

Using a Classroom-Based Deese Roediger McDermott Paradigm to Assess the Effects of Imagery on False Memories

Using a Classroom-Based Deese Roediger McDermott Paradigm to Assess the Effects of Imagery on False Memories

Published on: November 14, 2018

Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Psycholinguistics
Memory Studies

Background:

Understanding how humans store and retrieve sentence information is crucial in cognitive science.
Existing theories of sentence memory include surface structure and imagery-based models.
These models offer different predictions regarding memory recall, particularly concerning semantic substitutions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the nature of sentence memory representation.
To test the validity of surface structure and imagery theories against empirical data.
To determine if memory is based on linguistic form, visual imagery, or abstract meaning.

Main Methods:

Participants memorized sentences containing words with English synonyms.
Recall performance was analyzed for synonym substitution errors.
Experiments varied sentence abstractness and concreteness to assess recall patterns.

Main Results:

A significant proportion of recall responses involved synonym substitutions (6.0%–27.7%).
Synonym substitutions occurred with similar frequency in both abstract and concrete sentences.
These substitutions were largely unidirectional, suggesting a consistent memory process.

Conclusions:

The findings contradict surface structure theories, as word associations and sequential dependencies do not fully explain the results.
Results also challenge imagery theories, which predict fewer synonym substitutions for abstract sentences.
Evidence supports a model where sentence memory relies on nonlinguistic, non-visual, abstract representations (ideas).