Solution of the Categorisation Task under Different Categorial Priming Conditions.

Abstract

The paper considers the possibility of discerning between two components of categorial priming based on the type of relationship of the prime to the object of categorisation. The first, situational, component is associated with the answer categories presented (when the prime and the categorisation object require the same answer); the second, semantic, component is associated with stable categorial structures in semantic memory (prime is a name of the category the object naturally belongs to). An empirical study utilised a task to categorise objects into “clothes” and “buildings” (object categories) based on “part-whole” (answer categories). The results indicated a negative categorial answer priming with no evidence of object priming. The effect magnitude was different for different object categories. The results are interpreted as evidence in favour of discerning between two components of non-conscious categorial priming.