Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior (Psych/Soc) Practice Exam

Semantic memory is a type of long-term memory that is focused on the storage and recall of factual information and knowledge about the world, concepts, and language. It is considered more durable over time compared to other types of memory because it involves the encoding of meaning and understanding. This allows for better retention and retrieval of information since it is often connected to other existing knowledge, making it more resilient to forgetting.

While short-term memory and working memory are crucial for tasks requiring immediate information handling and manipulation, they are not as durable due to their limited capacity and short duration. Short-term memory typically holds information temporarily, while working memory involves the active processing of that information but does not retain it long-term. Immediate memory is closely related to short-term memory but even more fleeting. Thus, semantic memory stands out as the more durable type of memory that can persist over lengthy durations, allowing individuals to access vast amounts of knowledge throughout their lives.