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Bias in the priming of object decisions
1Psychology Department, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.
Summary
Priming effects in object decision tasks are influenced by a bias to respond "possible." Episodic information can counteract this bias for impossible objects, explaining previous null priming findings.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Perceptual decision-making
Background:
- Object decision tasks commonly show priming for possible objects but not impossible ones.
- Previous research suggests episodic information retrieval influences these priming effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the underlying mechanisms of priming effects in the object decision task.
- To determine if priming effects are solely due to a response bias or also involve episodic retrieval.
Main Methods:
- Seven experiments utilized 3-dimensional line drawings in an object decision task.
- Manipulations included response time deadlines, memory load, forced choice, and similarity to eliminate episodic information retrieval.
Main Results:
- When episodic information retrieval was eliminated, equal priming effects were observed for both possible and impossible objects.
- This suggests a bias towards responding 'possible' is a key factor.
Conclusions:
- Priming effects in object decision tasks primarily reflect a bias to respond 'possible'.
- Episodic information can override this bias for impossible objects, leading to previously observed null priming effects.