A Multinomial Model for Short-Term Priming in Word Identification

• Published in: Psychological review 2001-10, Vol.108 (4), p.835-846
• Main Authors: Ratcliff, Roger, McKoon, Gail
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Attention; Biological and medical sciences; Decision making; Experiments; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human; Humans; Language; Male; Mental Recall; Model testing; Models, Psychological; Paired-Associate Learning; Paradigms; Perception; Perceptions; Perceptual Discrimination; Priming; Production and perception of written language; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Reaction Time; Word Recognition; Words
• ISSN: 0033-295X; 1939-1471
• DOI: 10.1037/0033-295X.108.4.835

A simple multinomial model for short-term priming in perceptual word identification is presented. In the experiments to which the model is applied, prime words are presented just prior to a flashed target word, and subjects must decide which of 2 alternative words matches the target. The model assumes that on some proportion of trials, confusion among the words leads to the decision being based on 1 of the prime words instead of the target. In addition, it is assumed that subjects sometimes discount a prime that matches 1 of the test alternatives and so choose the alternative that does not match. With these assumptions, the model fits the data from 5 experiments (including 4 used to develop the model known as ROUSE [responding optimally with unknown sources of evidence]; D. E. Huber, R. Shiffrin, K. Lyle, & K. Ruys, 2001 ). The multinomial model fits the data about as well as the ROUSE model and so should lead to further development and critical testing of both models.