Concept map activation

Concept map activation is the activation of the set of neurons that make up a concept map. The activation is usually the effect of a prior activation of another map that is associated with the newly activated map by sufficiently strong connections.

For example, thinking about a dog, may bring a memory of a dog attack. If an unrelated and harmless bark of a dog is heard, coactivation of the attack memory with the concept map representing a dog bark may trigger an acute stress response.

The entire human thinking process is based on serial (in time) and parallel (in space) activation of linked concept maps. This is explained in How to solve any problem.

Activations may also be spontaneous, cyclical, or induced externally. For example, the activation of the arousal centers are a circadian part of the natural creativity cycle.

This glossary entry is used to explain texts in SuperMemo Guru series on memory, learning, creativity, and problem solving