Only connections: A critique of semantic networks.

This article examines theories that assume that semantic networks account for the mental representation of meaning. It assesses their similarities and divergencies, and argues that as a class of theories they remain too powerful to be refuted by empirical evidence. The theories are also confronted by a number of problematical semantic phenomena that arise because networks deal with the connections between concepts rather than with their connections to the world. The solution to these problems could be embodied in a new network system, but such a system would differ in both structure and function from current network theories.