In cognitive networks, what describes the spread of activation from a triggered node to related nodes?

• A. Interference
• B. Primacy Effect
• C. Spreading Activation
• D. Visuospatial Sketchpad

Answer: (C)

Spreading activation describes how activating one concept in a cognitive network can cascade to related concepts, making them more accessible. In semantic memory models, a triggered node sends activation along connections to neighboring nodes, so closely related ideas become primed and easier to retrieve. For example, thinking of "dog" can activate related concepts like "bone" or "cat," increasing the likelihood these ideas will be considered soon after. The other terms refer to different phenomena: interference involves competing memories that disrupt recall; the primacy effect is better recall for items presented first in a sequence; the visuospatial sketchpad is a working-memory component handling visual and spatial information. Therefore, spreading activation best fits the described process.