Does it link words to pictures in your mind? So there is a mapping from the word “owl” to a picture of an owl in your head?
Can I also add that I don’t think this mapping involves word definitions, so for example the word owl won’t map to the word definition of an owl since you need to define words in the definition itself. This causes a never ending chain as you keep having to define words in further definitions.
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Haven’t seen anybody bring up the schema theory yet. This theory of memory does a really good job of providing an image of the structure and relationship between short term memory (STM) and long term memory (LTM).
The first thing you should know is a schema. Essentially, a schema is a bundle of information that is stored as one unit in your LTM. For example, the actual word ‘owl’ is only a small part of the ‘owl’ schema in your brain. This helps explain why, when you think ‘owl’, information from multiple contexts are brought up and readily available (what an owl looks like, sounds like, where it might live, maybe you even have the tootsie pop owl from the commercial right on the tip of your tongue).
Second, keeping in mind that schemas are their own discrete units, related schemas (like ‘owl’ and ‘feather’) can be pictured as linked like kindergarteners holding the same rope on a field trip. When a specific schema – let’s say ‘feather’ – is pulled out of your LTM up to your STM, all related schemas including ‘owl’ aren’t necessarily pulled up with it, but are closer to your consciousness than a totally unrelated schema, like ‘railroad’.
There’s a lot more to schema theory than I explained here, and it’s all very interesting – I recommend checking it out.
Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
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