Interaction between Location-based and Semantics-based Unconscious Priming Effects

Journal of Psychological Science ›› 2014, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (4) : 797-802.

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PDF(4240 KB)
Journal of Psychological Science ›› 2014, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (4) : 797-802.

Interaction between Location-based and Semantics-based Unconscious Priming Effects

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Abstract

Priming is an implicit memory effect in which exposure to a stimulus influences a response to a later stimulus. It can occur following perceptual, semantic, or conceptual stimulus repetition, even under the unconsciousness. Previous studies found that unconscious information is not only able to get themselves a greater degree of processing, but also for its position in space could evoke attention, which produced location-based priming effect. Studies have also found that unconscious information is not only able to get the low-level characteristics processing, but also get the high-level semantics processing. So far, almost all previous studies focused on the different attributes of stimuli in unconscious information processing, separately. Such as location, size, shape, and semantics. But in order to examine directly whether they have the same underlying mechanisms and how they possibly interact in contributing to attentional or response bias, we need to use cue-target paradigm and co-vary the spatial location and semantic properties of stimuli simultaneously, we aimed at investigating the interaction between location-based and semantics-based unconscious priming effects. The two experiments used essentially the same design and stimuli, with two within-subject factors designating the relations between the cue and the target. The first factor was whether the cue was ipsilateral or contralateral to the target (i.e., cue-target location correspondence or cue validity) and the second factor was whether semantic consistency of the cue was the same as or different from the semantic consistency of the target. The cue and the target were four digits, 3, 4, 6 and 7. In some trials the prime was congruent with the target (both numbers fell on the same side of 5), and in other trials it was incongruent (one number being larger than 5, and the other being smaller; Fig. 1). In Experiments 1, subjects were required to press a press a response key with one finger if the target was on the left side, with the other finger if the target was on the right side. In Experiments 2, we asked subjects to perform a simple semantic categorization task on the target numeral. Subjects were asked to press a response key with one finger if the target was larger than 5, and with the other finger if the target was smaller than 5. The presentation of the cue and the target on the ipsilateral and contralateral sides and the combination of the same or different frequencies as cues and targets were completely balanced. We found that there were priming effects based on the location, when the location attributes of stimuli associated with the experimental task demands, regardless of whether semantic properties of stimuli were same; However, when the semantic properties of stimuli associated with the experimental task demands, there were the interaction between location-based and semantics-based unconscious priming effects, that when priming items were different with the position of the target items, there were semantic priming effects in semantic discrimination task; while priming items were same as the location of target items, there were inhibitory tendency in semantic discrimination task. These results suggested that, the interaction between location-based and semantics-based unconscious priming effects were only appeared in discrimination task, but not in location task.

Key words

unconscious information / spatial location / semantics / priming effect

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Interaction between Location-based and Semantics-based Unconscious Priming Effects[J]. Journal of Psychological Science. 2014, 37(4): 797-802
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