Researchers from Queensland University of Technology and the University of South Florida have investigated the quantum nature of word associations and presented a simplified quantum model of a mental lexicon.

They view quantum theory as an abstract framework for developing models of “non-separability” (of which quantum entanglement is a physical manifestation) in a variety of domains including cognition.

This kind of research is an example of an emerging field called “quantum cognition,” the aim of which is to use quantum theory to develop radically new models of a variety of cognitive phenomena ranging from human memory to decision making.