What term refers to the way a word accumulates associations through repeated encounters?

What term refers to the way a word accumulates associations through repeated encounters?

• A. priming
• B. collocation
• C. entrenchment
• D. lexicalization

Answer: (A)

Priming is the way exposure to a word or its context can activate related ideas in memory, making those associations more accessible. When a word is encountered repeatedly in different contexts, the network of connections around that word—its meanings, typical collocations, and related concepts—gets reinforced through repeated activation. This spreading activation makes future processing faster and more likely to draw on those links, because the brain has built a stronger, more readily available network of associations. For example, if you’ve heard a word many times in contexts involving work, school, and communication, related concepts and partner words you’ve encountered with it—like tasks, deadlines, or conversations—become more readily activated. That’s priming at work: prior encounters shape how easily you access the word’s connections later. Other terms describe related ideas but not this activation mechanism. Collocation focuses on common word pairings the word tends to occur with, which contributes to its network but doesn’t define how repeated encounters strengthen associations. Entrenchment refers to how frequent usage makes patterns more solid in memory, a broader idea that can include priming but isn’t the specific process of activation spreading. Lexicalization is about turning a concept into a fixed lexical item, not about building or strengthening associative networks through repeated encounters.

Priming is the way exposure to a word or its context can activate related ideas in memory, making those associations more accessible. When a word is encountered repeatedly in different contexts, the network of connections around that word—its meanings, typical collocations, and related concepts—gets reinforced through repeated activation. This spreading activation makes future processing faster and more likely to draw on those links, because the brain has built a stronger, more readily available network of associations.

For example, if you’ve heard a word many times in contexts involving work, school, and communication, related concepts and partner words you’ve encountered with it—like tasks, deadlines, or conversations—become more readily activated. That’s priming at work: prior encounters shape how easily you access the word’s connections later.

Other terms describe related ideas but not this activation mechanism. Collocation focuses on common word pairings the word tends to occur with, which contributes to its network but doesn’t define how repeated encounters strengthen associations. Entrenchment refers to how frequent usage makes patterns more solid in memory, a broader idea that can include priming but isn’t the specific process of activation spreading. Lexicalization is about turning a concept into a fixed lexical item, not about building or strengthening associative networks through repeated encounters.