Nonword repetition priming in lexical decision reverses as a function of study task and speed stress.
The authors argue that nonword repetition priming in lexical decision is the net result of 2 opposing processes. First, repeating nonwords in the lexical decision task results in the storage of a memory trace containing the interpretation that the letter string is a nonword; retrieval of this trace leads to an increase in performance for repeated nonwords. Second, nonword repetition results in increased familiarity, making the nonword more "wordlike," leading to a decrease in performance. Consistent with this dual-process account, Experiment 1 showed a facilitatory effect for nonwords studied in a lexical decision task but an inhibitory effect for nonwords studied in a letter-height task. Experiment 2 showed inhibitory nonword repetition priming for participants tested under speed-stress instructions.
Zeelenberg
René
R
Department of Psychology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA. rzeelenb@indiana.edu
Wagenmakers
Eric-Jan
EJ
Shiffrin
Richard M
RM
D003657:Decision Making; D006801:Humans; D008037:Linguistics; D011897:Random Allocation; D011930:Reaction Time; D012660:Semantics; D013312:Stress, Physiological