Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Storage01:23

Storage

220
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...
220
Language Development01:22

Language Development

628
Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
628
Explicit Memories01:27

Explicit Memories

274
Explicit memories, also known as declarative memories, are consciously remembered, recalled, and reported. Studying for a chemistry exam involves material that will become part of explicit memory. There are two types of explicit memory: episodic and semantic.
Episodic memory contains information about personally experienced events and is reported as a story. An example of episodic memory is recalling a birthday celebration. This type of memory includes the what, where, and when of an event, as...
274
Mnemonic Devices01:23

Mnemonic Devices

265
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,...
265
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language01:10

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

2.4K
Language is a system of communication that allows the expression of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The brain processes language in both hemispheres.
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
2.4K
Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory01:26

Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory

1.7K
Memory is one of the most vital higher mental functions of the brain. Memory is closely related to learning because it enables us to retain information and experiences from our past to use them in our present life. It also helps us to remember facts, events, and skills, such as riding a bike or swimming. There are two types of memory — declarative memory, which involves memorizing facts or events, and procedural memory, which enables us to remember how to do something like writing or...
1.7K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Early Production of Imperceptible Words by Infants and Toddlers Born Deaf or Blind.

Open mind : discoveries in cognitive science·2025
Same author

Is time an embodied property of concepts?

PloS one·2023
Same author

A context-sensitive and non-linguistic approach to abstract concepts.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2022
Same author

Autism-spectrum traits in neurotypicals predict the embodiment of manipulation knowledge about object concepts: Evidence from eyetracking.

PloS one·2022
Same author

Encoding and inhibition of arbitrary episodic context with abstract concepts.

Memory & cognition·2021
Same author

Psychology of cleansing through the prism of intersecting object histories.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2021
Same journal

Functional Neural Architecture of Working Memory in Musicians: An ALE Meta-Analysis and Review.

Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Cognitive science·2026
Same journal

Collective Memory in Animals.

Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Cognitive science·2026
Same journal

What Counts as an Environment in Memory Research? Conceptualizing Environment Across Memory Traditions.

Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Cognitive science·2026
Same journal

Origins and Evolution of Imagination, From Australopithecus to Modern-Day Deep Learning.

Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Cognitive science·2026
Same journal

Multilevel Perceptual-Motor Coupling: From Action Understanding to Execution.

Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Cognitive science·2026
Same journal

Hope in Early Childhood: Novel Methodology for Measuring Hope in 5- and 6-Year-Olds.

Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Cognitive science·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 19, 2025

The Spatial Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition
05:15

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

Published on: February 19, 2018

11.1K

Building semantic memory from embodied and distributional language experience.

Charles P Davis1,2, Eiling Yee1,2

  • 1Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA.

Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews. Cognitive Science
|February 3, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Semantic memory integrates embodied and linguistic experiences, challenging the view of these as separate data types. This unified approach explains how our knowledgebase reflects both shared and unique lived experiences.

Keywords:
conceptsdistributional semanticsembodied cognitionsemantic memory

More Related Videos

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization
05:35

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization

Published on: April 19, 2017

6.9K
Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm
06:35

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Published on: April 28, 2016

34.8K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 19, 2025

The Spatial Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition
05:15

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

Published on: February 19, 2018

11.1K
Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization
05:35

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization

Published on: April 19, 2017

6.9K
Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm
06:35

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Published on: April 28, 2016

34.8K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Psycholinguistics
  • Computational Linguistics

Background:

  • Semantic memory enables humans to understand and adapt to their environment using a vast knowledgebase.
  • Embodied cognition posits knowledge representation through sensory-motor simulation.
  • Distributional semantics suggests meaning is derived from statistical patterns in language use.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To reconcile seemingly contrasting theories of semantic memory: embodied cognition and distributional semantics.
  • To propose a unified framework where linguistic and embodied data are inseparably entangled.
  • To develop a more comprehensive model of semantic memory.

Main Methods:

  • Synthesizing existing approaches to semantic memory.
  • Analyzing the interaction between sensory-perceptual and distributional-linguistic data.
  • Proposing a theoretical framework for integrated concept representation.

Main Results:

  • Linguistic and embodied experiences are not distinct but fundamentally intertwined in semantic memory.
  • Sensory-perceptual systems are reactivated during meaning comprehension, similar to linguistic processing.
  • Distributional principles apply to both language and sensory-perceptual experience.

Conclusions:

  • A unified view of semantic memory accounts for interdependencies between linguistic and embodied data.
  • Concept representations reflect a dynamic interplay of shared and unique experiences.
  • This integrated model advances our understanding of how the brain processes meaning.