Final answer:
People respond faster to stimuli like 'bread' when paired with a semantically related word such as 'butter' due to priming and the structure of semantic memory networks. Semantic encoding allows for better recall by linking concepts based on the frequency of their association and personal relevance known as the self-reference effect.
Step-by-step explanation:
Studies of semantic memory have demonstrated that in a lexical decision task, people respond faster to a stimulus when it is paired with a related stimulus due to a concept known as priming. For example, if someone is presented with the stimulus "bread," they are faster at responding if it is paired with "butter" as opposed to unrelated words like "rencle" or "xqkrf". This occurs because "bread" and "butter" are strongly associated in our semantic networks, a concept that suggests concepts are linked in our minds in a hierarchical structure. The strength of the link between concepts depends on how often they have been associated with each other. Semantic encoding plays a significant role in how we process and remember verbal information. It involves a deeper level of processing and allows for better recall than visual or acoustic encoding. This is especially true when the self-reference effect comes into play, highlighting the personal relevance of information to an individual.