Goal-dependent automatic processing of potency: A potency-priming paradigm

Abstract

Valence, arousal and potency can be conceived of as basic dimensions of meaning that are frequently activated. As an effect of frequent usage, research on evaluative priming has demonstrated that valence can be processed automatically. The present study addresses the question of whether potency as a frequently processed dimension is automatically activated, too. In four experiments we employed a category priming procedure with response window technique to test the assumption that shortly presented primes automatically influence responses to targets and/or the encoding of targets. Stimuli varying in potency (i.e., high vs. low potency) were presented as primes and targets with a short stimulus onset asynchrony (30 ms) whereas potency was the task-relevant stimulus feature. In Experiments 1a/b, participants conducted a strong-weak categorization on adjectives varying in potency and valence (Experiment 1a) or potency and arousal (Experiment 1b). In Experiment 2, we examined if novel primes also contribute to the potency priming effect. In Experiment 3, we tried to replicate the effect of novel primes and tested if potency-priming depends on the task. Results across all experiments revealed higher rates of correct responses on trials where prime and target were compatible in terms of their potency compared to trials with incompatible prime-target combinations. Since the priming effect emerges for novel primes, too, it is likely that prime potency is processed automatically. Moreover, the fact that potency priming was modulated by the task-goal further highlights the automaticity of this process.