Script Author: Katja Borchert, Ph.D. (katjab@millisecond.com), Millisecond
Created: April 22, 2015
Last Modified: February 16, 2026 by K. Borchert (katjab@millisecond.com), Millisecond
Script Copyright © Millisecond Software, LLC
This script implements a batch script to run a Subliminal Priming Procedure with adaptive response window (Draine & Greenwald, 1998).
In general, priming procedures are simple response-timed binary categorization tasks of items from two target categories (e.g. positive vs. negative adjectives). Priming Procedures are based on the assumption that people respond faster if the target category was already 'mentally activated' by briefly presenting items (called 'primes') that are closely connected in one's mind. For example, a person should be faster to quickly categorize the target word 'good' as 'positive' after the brief presentation of the prime word 'ice-cream' than after the brief presentation of the prime word 'famine'. Priming Procedure can thus be used to study implicit attitudes. Faster reaction times to targets after primes from a specific category are interpreted as indicative of an existing relationship/association between the categories in the person's mind.
If the primes are presented with a temporal duration that can be consciously processed, the primes are called 'supraliminal'. If the duration of the primes is so short that they are outside one's conscious awareness the primes are called 'subliminal'. This script uses subliminal primes.
The implemented primining procedure in this script constraints response latencies to fall within a narrow response window. The default set-up uses response windows that are adaptive to people's speed performance.
Draine, S.C, & Greenwald, A.G. (1998). Replicable Unconscious Semantic Priming. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 127, 286-303.
8 minutes
Participants are asked to do 2 tasks.
Task 1 (Indirect Measure, evaluation classification): Participants are asked to categorize target words (names) into negative/positive (male/female) categories. Targets are preceded by masked primes of 3 different prime durations. Participants are asked to respond within an adaptable response window. Primes can be either congruent or incongruent with the target category. (this procedure is run by script subliminalpriming_draine_im.iqjs)
Task 2 (Direct Measure): Participants are asked to categorize masked primes (words/names OR letter strings of Xs and Gs) that appear for 3 different prime durations into words (names) or letter strings. Primes are followed by distractor words but participants are asked to ignore the distractors. (this procedure is run by script subliminalpriming_draine_dm.iqjs)
(1) in this script -> odd groupnumbers run pleasant/unpleasant words; even groupnumbers run male/female names (2) default response keys are "A" and "L" A(left): unpleasant/male/XG string L(right): pleasant/female/word/name
See 'subliminalpriming_draine_im.iqjs' and 'subliminalpriming_draine_dm.iqjs'
See 'subliminalpriming_draine_im.iqjs' and 'subliminalpriming_draine_dm.iqjs'
See 'subliminalpriming_draine_im.iqjs' and 'subliminalpriming_draine_dm.iqjs'