Semantic Memories

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From the course by The University of Chicago

Understanding the Brain: The Neurobiology of Everyday Life

619 ratings

The University of Chicago

Understanding the Brain: The Neurobiology of Everyday Life

619 ratings

Learn how the nervous system produces behavior, how we use our brain every day, and how neuroscience can explain the common problems afflicting people today. We will study functional human neuroanatomy and neuronal communication, and then use this information to understand how we perceive the outside world, move our bodies voluntarily, stay alive, and play well with others.

From the lesson

Abstract Function

You've now learned an incredible amount about the way the brain functions to perceive and act upon the world we live in. You've gained an understanding of neurobiology on a cellular level, and how many diseases and disorders of the nervous system can affect our bodies and minds. In our final module, we will journey into the realms of emotion, attention, memory, and language. By the end of this module, you will have a greater understanding of the more abstract cognitive functions the brain.

Memory Types7:38

Semantic Memories3:12

Episodic Memories5:59

Meet the Instructors

Peggy Mason
Professor
Neurobiology

[MUSIC]

Okay, so let's talk about the two different types of declarative memory.

One is semantic and one is episodic.

And semantic memory is facts.

Things like George Washington was the first president of the

United States, or the word, multiple, means more than one.

Those are facts, those are semantic memories.

And they are in a different category than episodic

memories, which are memories of events, things that happened.

Autobiographical memories are episodic memories.

So, let's just understand how this works.

When my niece was about six years old, we had a big family

party and everyone was all excited, and there was a lot of hubbub.

And everyone was gathered and my brother said to, to his daughter,

okay, whatever you do, daddy worked really hard to grow this pepper.

Don't pick the pepper.

What did my niece do?

She immediately, of course, picked the pepper.

So this story has been told and retold to her, and to the family.

It is a family-favorite story of my niece being

naughty, and everyone getting a big kick out of it.

And so, in fact, that episode started as an episodic memory.

Everyone remembers it actually happening.

But because it is retold and retold, it has morphed into a semantic memory.

And how can we tell?

Because if I asked my niece, what were you wearing

when your father told you not to pick the pepper?

Pretty sure she'd have no clue.

What was your dad wearing?

Was it sunny or cloudy?

Was there a wind?

Could you smell the blossoms of any particular flower?

She would have no ability to transport herself

back into that episode and explore the memory.

It was no, it's no longer an episode.

It is turned into a semantic memory, so she's remembering not

so much the memory, or the incident, she's remembering the retelling.

And a great deal of our episodic memory starts out as episodic

memory and becomes a memory of the, of the retelling of the memory.

So, in the next segment we're going to

ex, further explore the rich detail of episodic memories.

[MUSIC]

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