Hirsch Argument Atlas
Evidence-source registry, machine-normalized 2026-08-24. Identity and independence flag are unreviewed; occurrence→claim links were machine-relinked. ← Back to the registry
S0122 · collins_quillian_1969_semantic_memory · registry identity

Retrieval time from semantic memory

Collins · 1969
study independent3 occurrences across 2 books · load 6
External resolution

Resolution status: resolved

Retrieval time from semantic memory
Collins, Quillian · 1969 · Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior · journal-article
doi.org/10.1016/s0022-5371(69)80069-1
How Hirsch uses it

Every occurrence, grouped by book and chapter, with the claim it was linked to support and (where the extraction regenerated one) the underlying warrant.

1987 · Cultural Literacy
Collins and Quillian's 1969 study on semantic networks showed that subjects take longer to verify sentences that require traversing more levels of a hierarchy (e.g., 'canaries can breathe' vs. 'canaries are yellow').
direct Determining the truth of a statement takes longer the 'deeper' into a schematic network a person must go to retrieve the relevant information.
ch 2 · empirical_study · cl:ch2_E40
Warrant (explicit): Information in the human mind is organized into a hierarchical network where response time is a direct function of the logical distance between nodes.
could fail ifThe 'typicality effect' shows that we verify 'A robin is a bird' faster than 'A penguin is a bird', regardless of hierarchical depth.
2022 · American Ethnicity
Retrieval time research regarding semantic memory.
direct Prototypes are processed significantly faster than atypical examples when humans verify the truth or falsity of isolated sentences.
ch 7 · empirical_study · ae:ch7_E28
Warrant (implicit): The time required to verify semantic relationships reveals the hierarchical or associative structure of information in human memory.
could fail ifRetrieval time can be confounded by priming effects or the emotional salience of specific words.
The 'Canary' schema example, illustrating that cultural associations (small, yellow, sings) are more functional for communication than biological facts (has DNA, has a backbone).
direct Functional communication relies on the distinctive system of traits in schemata that differentiate concepts rather than secondary biological or physical facts.
ch 7 · thought_experiment · ae:ch7_E29
Warrant (explicit): Effective communication relies on shared cultural associations rather than objective scientific taxonomies.
could fail ifThe reliance on stereotypes or 'distinctive traits' may lead to communicative failure when the discourse requires technical precision.
Endnote numbers seen

Raw book:chapter:endnote references collected during endnote backfill.

ae:7:95
Raw source_reference strings seen

As they appeared before normalization/consolidation into this source identity.

  • A. M. Collins and M. R. Quillian (1969)
  • A. M. Collins and M. R. Quillian, 'Retrieval Time from Semantic Memory', 1969
  • Collins and Quillian (1969)