Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

Semantic memory
(general memory)
Example: George Washington
wore a wig
Episodic memory
(personal knowledge)
Example: Remembering your
visit to Washington’s home,
Mount Vernon
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Module 20 
The Foundations of Memory 
217
Consider, for example, Figure 6, which shows some of the relationships in 
memory relating to fi re engines, the color red, and a variety of other semantic 
concepts. Thinking about a particular concept leads to recall of related concepts. 
For example, seeing a fi re engine may activate our recollections of other kinds of 
emergency vehicles, such as an ambulance, which in turn may activate recall of the 
related concept of a vehicle. And thinking of a vehicle may lead us to think about 
a bus that we’ve seen in the past. Activating one memory triggers the activation of 
related memories in a process known as spreading activation (Foster et al., 2008; 
Kreher et al, 2008).
 THE NEUROSCIENCE OF MEMORY 
Can we pinpoint a location in the brain where long-term memories reside? Is there 
a single site that corresponds to a particular memory, or is memory distributed in 
different regions across the brain? Do memories leave an actual physical trace that 
scientists can view? 
The search for the engram , the term for the physical memory trace that corresponds 
to a memory, has proved to be a major puzzle to psychologists and other neuroscien-
tists interested in memory. Using advanced brain scanning procedures in their efforts 
to determine the neuroscientifi c basis of memory formation, investigators have learned 
that certain areas and structures of the brain specialize in different types of memory-
related activities. The hippocampus, a part of the brain’s limbic system (see Figure 7), 
plays a central role in the consolidation of memories. Located within the brain’s medial 
temporal lobes just behind the eyes, the hippocampus aids in the initial encoding of 
information, acting as a kind of neurological e-mail system. That information is