Priming can affect naming colours using the study-test procedure. Revealing the role of task conflict

Abstract

The Stroop paradigm has been widely used to study attention whilst its use to explore implicit memory have been mixed. Using the non-colour word Stroop task we tested contrasting predictions from the proactive-control/task-conflict model (Kalanthroff, Avnit, Henik, Davelaar & Usher, 2015) that implicate response conflict and task conflict for the priming effects. Using the study-test procedure 60 native English speakers were tested to determine whether priming effects from words that had previously been studied would cause interference when presented in a colour naming task. The results replicate a finding by MacLeod (1996) who showed no differences between the response latencies to studied and unstudied words. However, this pattern was predominately in the first half of the study where it was also found that both studied and unstudied words in a mixed block were slower to respond to than a block of pure unstudied words. The second half of the study showed stronger priming interference effects as well as a sequential modulation effect in which studied words slowed down the responses of studied words on the next trial. We discuss the role of proactive and reactive control processes and conclude that task conflict best explains the pattern of priming effects reported.

Priming Emotional Salience Reveals the Role of Episodic Memory and Task Conflict in the Non-color Word Stroop Task

“…Here it is thought that the word reading task demand unit is activated by the congruent word in a bottom-up fashion to produce greater task conflict with color naming, compared to a non-word. Second, Sharma (2018) also provided evidence for the influence of task conflict using the non-color word Stroop task. Sharma used a priming procedure in which participants learned neutral words during a study phase (see also MacLeod, 1996).…”

“…This can occur when certain stimuli become associated with certain tasks. For example, words tend to activate reading processes which results in competition between the task of reading and responding to the ink color (MacLeod and MacDonald, 2000; Goldfarb and Henik, 2007; Kalanthroff et al, 2013a, 2013b, Entel and Tzelgov, 2018; Sharma, 2018).…”

“…The task demand units are modulated by proactive control through the conflict monitoring node. The episodic memory node was not part of the PC-TC model and has been added to explain the current findings and those of Sharma (2018).…”

“…The word reading task demand unit can be activated in two ways, either in a bottom-up reactive fashion (e.g., by activation from negative word input units) or in a top-down proactive control mechanism (e.g., by a threat monitoring task demand unit in high anxious individuals or more generally by priming from negative schemas) that enables the word reading task demand unit to compete with the color naming task demand unit. Evidence for both mechanisms was provided by Sharma (2018) when comparing trials within and between blocks. Between blocks proactive control was evidenced as a general slowdown, in particular the neutral words in the block containing studied words were slower than those in a block without studied words.…”

“…The main aim of our research was to use the priming procedure developed by Sharma (2018) to investigate further evidence for the role of task conflict in the non-color word Stroop task. In our experiment participants study both negative and neutral words during an initial study phase, which is followed by a test phase comprising four blocks with different word categories: (1) a block of unstudied neutral words [C]; (2) a block of unstudied negative and neutral words, [NC]; (3) a mixed block of studied and unstudied neutral words, [CsC]; and (4) a mixed block of studied negative and unstudied neutral words, [NsC].…”