Entropy in Semantic Memory Navigation in Blind and Sighted Individuals: The Effect of Visual Experience
Summary
This study uses semantic entropy, an NLP embedding-based metric, to compare semantic memory navigation between blind and sighted individuals. Results show that visual experience influences entropy patterns, with sighted individuals having higher entropy for abstract concepts while blind individuals exhibit higher entropy for visually salient concrete concepts.
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# Entropy in Semantic Memory Navigation in Blind and Sighted Individuals: The Effect of Visual Experience Source: [https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.12185](https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.12185) [View PDF](https://arxiv.org/pdf/2607.12185) > 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\. ## Submission history From: Felipe Toro Hernández \[[view email](https://arxiv.org/show-email/4cfc6c00/2607.12185)\] **\[v1\]**Mon, 13 Jul 2026 22:05:36 UTC \(593 KB\)
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