A Retrieval Theory of Priming in Memory

We present a theory of priming that is designed to account for phenomena usually attributed to the action of a spreading activation process. The theory assumes that a prime and target are combined at retrieval into a compound cue that is used to access memory. If the representations of the prime and target are associated in memory, the match is greater than if they are not associated, and this greater match facilitates the response to the target. The compound cue mechanism can be implemented within the framework of several memory models; descriptions of these implementations are presented. We summarize empirical results that have been taken as evidence for a spreading activation process and show that the retrieval theory can also account for these phenomena and that, in some cases, the retrieval theory provides predictions that are more constrained than those provided by spreading activation theories. Also, two experiments are reported that address predictions about the range of priming (in terms of number of connected concepts) and the decay rate of priming (in terms of intervening items). In both cases, the retrieval theory provides a better account of the data than spreading activation. Finally, contrasts between the compound cue theory and long-term priming phenomena are presented.