Perceptual priming tasks
From Psy3241
What is Perceptual Priming?
Perceptual priming refers to activating particular associations in memory just before a
responsive behavior takes place. In other words, it is the method used to get the mind
ready to respond in a particular manner. One important property of priming is that there
tends to be a higher positive correlation when the priming and stimulus presentation
occurs in the same sensory mode. For example, a visual priming stimulus is given, then
the presentation of a visual stimulus will produce a better performance than a auditory
stimulus.
In a sense, perceptual priming can be used to synthesize a participant to the presentation
of the same or similar stimulus at a later time. If participants read a list of words that
includes the word table and then given a list of prefixes and asked to write the first word
they think of, they will write the word table when the stimulus prefix tab is presented.
Participants may also show priming effects on the word chair when primed with the word
table due to the strong relationship between the two objects.
Importance for neuropsychology
It is important to consider that amnesic and blind sight patients show signs of a
perceptual priming effect even though they have no recollection of seeing the priming
stimulus. This could also be true for normal participants if a priming stimulus is flashed
rapidly so that the participant is unaware of the priming before an actual stimulus
presentation. The fact that the visual information gets into the brain without the
conscience experience of seeing the priming stimulus hints at different pathways for
visual stimuli in the brain.
