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Conjoint dissociations reveal involuntary "perceptual" priming from generating at study
A Richardson-Klavehn1, A J Benjamin Clarke, J M Gardiner
1University of Westminster, London, England. a.r.klavehn@wmin.ac.uk
Consciousness and Cognition
|September 17, 1999
Summary
Generating words from cues can lead to involuntary memory priming, suggesting lexical processes are involved. This study differentiates between voluntary and involuntary retrieval in memory tests.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Memory Research
Background:
- Perceptual memory tests can show priming effects.
- Priming from oral word generation may involve voluntary retrieval.
- Distinguishing voluntary from involuntary retrieval is crucial for understanding memory.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether oral word generation leads to involuntary memory priming.
- To differentiate retrieval processes in incidental versus intentional memory tasks.
- To explore the role of lexical processes in priming effects.
Main Methods:
- Participants engaged in word generation or reading tasks with varying processing depths.
- Intentional and incidental word-stem completion tests were used.
- Completion times and priming effects were measured and compared across conditions.
Main Results:
- Intentional testing showed differences in priming based on study condition (read-semantic > generate > read-phonemic).
- Incidental testing revealed equivalent priming for read conditions, indicating involuntary retrieval.
- Word generation produced significant, albeit less, priming than reading conditions.
Conclusions:
- Priming from word generation can be involuntary and driven by lexical processes.
- The study provides evidence for dissociations and parallel effects across different memory tests.
- Findings clarify the nature of retrieval in perceptual memory and semantic processing.