Posits that the Anterior Temporal Lobe (ATL) acts as a hub that integrates information from different areas. These different areas (spokes) are connected to the ATL and  serve various functions. 

Evidence for this is shown when people have brain damage to a particular spoke, only knowledge using the corresponding function is affected. In contrast damage to the ATL causes general knowledge deficits.

Hub and Spoke Model of Semantic Knowledge

A form of memory loss where knowledge of all concepts is affected (regardless of category). Patients are typically equally bad at distinguishing living things and animals.

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

- Category-specific memory impairment
- Semantic dementia

Memory Errors and Impairment (from brain damage) 

Memory of facts (i.e. recalling the president of the US) that is not associated with a particular time or context. 

Semantic memory

Goldstein, E. B. (2014). Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research and everyday experience. Nelson Education.


Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research and everyday experience

People can have brain damage where their memory is impaired, but only when trying to identify certain types of categories. For example, some patients with brain damage from encephalitis were able to remember non-animal objects (i.e. furniture and tools) but were not able to identify animals.

Category-specific memory impairment 

Over time memories can lose their episodic elements but retain semantic ones.

Semanticization of remote memories

Tulving suggests that memory of previous events, termed “episodic memory,” is different from “semantic memory” that is used for facts (p. 121-122). Retrieval of episodic memory requires remembering something consciously, while retrieval of semantic memory requires knowledge of information separate from personal experiences. Some amnesiac patients have difficulty accessing episodic memory, but are able to develop semantic knowledge (p. 122).

Episodic vs. Semantic Memory

Living things are identified using sensory objects and artifacts by functions. This leads to the conclusion that our ability to differentiate artifacts and living things comes from our semantic memory (which has a system for distinguishing sensory attributes and another for functions).

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