![Sample our Bioscience journals, sign in here to start your access, Latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5925/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Bioscience.jpg"})
Abstract
The effect of priming on the latency of the recognition potential (RP) was tested using rapid stream stimulation. Subjects detected five-letter words in a stream of nonword images. Lifting the right index finger signalled detection of a word. Rapid responses were rewarded and false alarms were penalized. Just before generation an image stream, a computer briefly displayed either the specific target word of a five-letter string that indicated the target was any one of ten previously studied words. Precise target specification was expected to produce more rapid detections than the provision of less definite information. Since the RP was thought to reflect the speed of perception, it was predicted that its latency would be less when the target word was shown beforehand than when less specific information was provided. The results for 10 subjects confirmed the hypothesis.