spreading activation
/ˌspredɪŋ ˌæktɪˈveɪʃən/
activation of one concept triggering related concepts in a network
spreading activation in a sentence
“Spreading activation explains why one memory leads to another.”
Origin of spreading activation
Psychological model from Collins and Loftus (1975)
Related Words
pattern recognition
identifying regularities or structures in sensory input
schema
a mental framework for organizing and interpreting information
cognitive load
the total amount of mental effort being used in working memory
automaticity
performing tasks without conscious attention due to practice
inhibition
suppressing irrelevant information or prepotent responses
metacognition
thinking about one's own thinking; awareness of cognitive processes