Semantic priming and repetition priming from masked words: evidence for a center-surround attentional mechanism in perceptual recognition.
Two lexical decision experiments compared semantic and repetition priming by masked words. Experiment 1 established prime-mask stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs) with presence-absence detection judgments. Primes presented at detection-threshold SOAs produced equal facilitation for repeated and semantically related targets: 26 ms and 24 ms. Experiment 2 established SOAs with semantic judgments. Primes presented at 70% of the semantic-threshold SOA to mimic the exposure conditions of Experiment 1 produced slightly greater facilitation for repeated targets but a tendency toward inhibition for semantically related targets: 38 ms and -6 ms. These results confirm Dagenbach, Carr, and Wilhelmsen's (1989) report that strategies induced by threshold-setting tasks can influence masked priming. In addition, Experiment 2 suggests a mechanism for retrieving weakly activated semantic codes into consciousness that relies on the center-surround principle to enhance activation of sought-for codes and to inhibit related codes stored nearby in the semantic network.
Carr
T H
TH
Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824-1117.
Dagenbach
D
D
D003243:Consciousness; D003463:Cues; D003657:Decision Making; D005556:Form Perception; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D011932:Reading; D012660:Semantics