Spreading activation

The model of Collins and Loftus for activation spreading ( spreading activation network) takes place in the psychology of language and its use in priming and serves to illustrate the processes that occur in the selection of a word in the brain. The model is based on a mental lexicon, which is constructed as a neural network. Accordingly, the activation of a word is spreading about each mitabgespeicherten relationships with other words.

The individual nodes (red, heat, fire, etc. ) of the network are the terms. The ( associative ) relationships between the individual concepts are represented by edges ( lines). After activation of a concept, the selection of further terms (nodes) spreads over each available associations (edges).

The propagation takes place simultaneously in all available directions. In the semantic priming is also observed that activated terms from the second access already be found more quickly. So it is a kind of mental cache.