Affective Priming Task¶
HED task ID: hedtsk_affective_priming
Family: Emotion elicitation and regulation tasks (also Conflict and interference tasks)
Also known as: Evaluative Priming
Target evaluation (good/bad) preceded by a briefly presented affective prime; response facilitation on congruent trials indexes automatic evaluation.
Description¶
Participants categorize target stimuli (e.g., judge words as “good” or “bad”) that are immediately preceded by briefly presented prime stimuli (words, faces, or images) of matching or mismatching emotional valence. The affective priming effect (faster RT for congruent vs. incongruent prime-target pairs) reflects automatic activation of evaluative representations. Subliminal variants (very brief prime exposure) provide evidence for unconscious emotional processing.
Inclusion test¶
An experiment is an instance of this task when its procedure matches, it manipulates at least one of the listed variables, and it records at least one of the listed measures.
Procedure |
A briefly presented prime (word, face, or image with positive or negative valence) is followed by a target that participants evaluate as good/bad or classify. |
Manipulation |
Congruence between prime valence and target valence; prime duration and SOA. |
Measurement |
RT and accuracy for target evaluation; congruency effect (faster on congruent trials) indexes automatic affective evaluation. |
Variations¶
Named versions that change what the participant experiences or does. The identifier
of a variation is hedvar_<task>__<variation>.
Variation |
Description |
Justification |
|---|---|---|
Evaluative Decision (Good/Bad)
|
Classify target as positive/negative after affective prime. |
Participant makes explicit valence judgment; changes response task from standard LDT |
Pronunciation/Naming
|
Name target word after prime; RT indexes priming without explicit evaluation. |
Vocal naming response instead of evaluative judgment; different output modality and response event |
Subliminal Priming
|
Prime presented below awareness threshold. |
Prime below conscious threshold; changes stimulus timing structure and awareness conditions |
Picture-Word Priming
|
Emotional images prime word targets. |
Visual picture prime instead of word; different stimulus type with distinct semantic processing |
Face-Face Priming
|
Emotional face primes emotional face targets. |
Social/facial stimuli as both prime and target; structurally distinct from word-prime paradigm |
Cross-Modal Affective Priming
|
Auditory affective primes with visual targets. |
Auditory prime + visual target; cross-modal structure creates distinct event types |
Masked vs. Unmasked Priming
|
Comparing automatic and strategic components. |
Systematic masking manipulation changes prime visibility and conscious access to prime |
Cognitive processes¶
This task is designed to engage the following processes:
Key references¶
Fazio, R. H., Sanbonmatsu, D. M., Powell, M. C., & Kardes, F. R. (1986). On the automatic activation of attitudes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50(2), 229-238. (DOI)
Hermans, D., De Houwer, J., & Eelen, P. (2001). A time course analysis of the affective priming effect. Cognition and Emotion, 15(2), 143-165. (DOI)
Murphy, S. T., & Zajonc, R. B. (1993). Affect, cognition, and awareness: Affective priming with optimal and suboptimal stimulus exposures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64(5), 723-739. (DOI, PubMed)
Further references¶
Herring, D. R., White, K. R., Jabeen, L. N., Hinojos, M., Terrazas, G., Reyes, S. M., Taylor, J. H., & Crites, S. L. (2013). On the automatic activation of attitudes: A quarter century of evaluative priming research. Psychological Bulletin, 139(5), 1062–1089. (DOI, PubMed)
De Houwer, J., Teige-Mocigemba, S., Spruyt, A., & Moors, A. (2009). Implicit measures: A normative analysis and review. Psychological Bulletin, 135(3), 347–368. (DOI, PubMed)
Fazio, R. H. (2001). On the automatic activation of associated evaluations: An overview. Cognition and Emotion, 15(2), 115–141. (DOI)