The Conceptual Peg Hypothesis suggests that when learning new information, the individual must first think of a familiar, and related, concept in order to remember the newly learned information. This phenomenon is called “peg-hooking.” The idea is that the familiar concept, or “peg”, acts as a bridge between the new information and something the individual already knows. To better explain, imagine that you have to remember the word pair “purple-soccer.” If you were to peg hook it, you might imagine a soccer ball with a purple stripe on it in order to mentally record the word pair.

So, what type of word pairs would the conceptual peg hypothesis predict would be more easily remembered? Research on this hypothesis suggests that word pairs with a shared concept, or that can be related to the same concept, are more easily remembered. For example, if you were asked to remember the word pair “cat-hat”, or “apple-pie”, then according to the conceptual peg hypothesis, your memory for those words will be enhanced if you can associate them with a shared concept such as an animal wearing a hat, or a dessert.

The conceptual peg hypothesis is still being studied to further understand its implications on memory in different contexts. To date, it remains a significant part of memory research and has been used to examine the effects of peg-hooking on a variety of tasks, such as memorizing lists or phrases. It is also helpful for those who suffer from memory disorders, such as dementia, as it can serve as a useful strategy for remembering new information.

To summarize, the conceptual peg hypothesis would predict enhanced memory for word pairs that have a shared concept or can be related to the same concept in some way. It has been a beneficial tool in terms of memory research and for those dealing with memory impairments.