Entropy in Semantic Memory Navigation in Blind and Sighted Individuals: The Effect of Visual Experience
arXiv:2607.12185
The paper compares how blind and sighted people navigate semantic memory using an embedding‑based entropy measure, finding that visual experience influences the predictability of concept retrieval.
Abstract
Embodied accounts of semantic memory highlight the role of sensorimotor systems in acquiring and storing knowledge. Congenitally blind populations offer a critical test bed for these assumptions, providing an opportunity to assess whether conceptual grounding requires visual experience. In this study, we assessed semantic memory navigation differences between blind and sighted individuals using a property listing task with concrete and abstract concepts. We computed semantic entropy, an embedding-based natural language processing metric that captures the predictability of retrieval. Generalized linear mixed models revealed distinct navigation patterns across groups: while sighted individuals showed higher entropy for abstract than concrete concepts, blind participants did not. Instead, blind individuals exhibited higher entropy for visually salient concrete concepts (e.g., penguin). These results underscore the role of visual experience in the organization and dynamic navigation of semantic memory.
Cogsci paper 2026