Associative and categorical priming in a word-picture paradigm: a diffusion model analysis

When we perceive language cues, they are processed with a high degree of automaticity and can thus guide the processing of subsequent perceptions. We investigated here how associated and categorically congruent prime words influence responses in a semantic picture categorization task. A hierarchical diffusion model is applied to disentangle the underlying cognitive processes. In the experiment, participants were asked to categorize target pictures as living or non-living. These target pictures were preceded by prime words, for which associations and semantic category match with targets were manipulated. Results indicate robust priming effects of category congruency for both response times (RT) and error rates (ER), whereas associations only show an effect on response times (RT). Diffusion model analysis revealed different cognitive processes for both types of prime-target relations: Specifically, associative priming maps to non-decision times, suggesting a head start in visuo-semantic picture processing, whereas categorical priming was found to affect drift rate, suggesting facilitation of the decision-making process. These results suggest that priming effects in picture classification differ from cognitive processes involved in word-word priming. The implications for theoretical models of priming are discussed.