How long does the Semantic Priming Task take?
About 3 to 5 minutes, as listed in the test library.
Language
Semantic Priming Task
Measure how a related word speeds recognition, with frame-timed 150 ms primes and lexical decision targets.
Useful for semantic memory, language, aging, and psycholinguistics research.
Run it with participant credits from $0.99 per participant, or any yearly plan. Preview any test free after you sign up.
Language3-5 minTimed: desktop or laptop with a mouse or trackpadPaid plans and pay as you go
BREAD
butter
F
J
A word flashes; is the next string a word?
What the participant sees
One trial, screen by screen, with the timings the test uses.
500 ms
A cross
150 ms
The prime in capitals
50 ms
A blank screen; 1,050 ms at the 1,200 ms interval
Until a key press, up to 2,000 ms
The target
- ForJ
- Word or not a word
Which of F and J means word is counterbalanced across sessions and saved with each answer. The prime and the blank switch on screen frames, and their measured durations are saved.
Example stimuli
Taken from the test's own stimuli.
Related
Word-vector similarity 0.728
Unrelated
Word-vector similarity 0.145
Nonword target
Made from "trade"
Session structure
Practice
8 trials
Related prime
20 trials
Unrelated prime
20 trials
Nonword target
40 trials
Scores and how they are computed
RT means response time. Mean RTs use correct responses at or after 100 ms.
- Priming Effectms
- Unrelated minus related mean correct RT to word targets.
- Positive values mean related primes sped recognition
- Related RTms
- Mean correct response time to targets after a related prime.
- Lower is faster
- Unrelated RTms
- Mean correct response time to targets after an unrelated prime.
- Lower is faster
- Related Accuracyproportion
- Share of word targets after a related prime answered as words.
- Higher is better
- Unrelated Accuracyproportion
- Share of word targets after an unrelated prime answered as words.
- Higher is better
- Nonword Accuracyproportion
- Share of nonword targets answered as not words.
- Higher is better
- Nonword RTms
- Mean correct response time to nonword targets.
- Lower is faster
- Timing Errorms
- The mean gap between the measured and the planned prime-to-target interval.
- Above 20 ms is flagged for review
Example dataOne simulated session, scored by the code that scores your study's sessions.
- Related prime625.9 ms
- Unrelated prime658.2 ms
Mean correct response time (ms)
- Priming effect
- 32.3 ms
- Nonword RT
- 683.5 ms
- Accuracy
- 96.3%
| Related prime, mean correct response time | 625.9 ms |
|---|---|
| Unrelated prime, mean correct response time | 658.2 ms |
What this task measures
Measures how a word's meaning speeds recognition of a related word. A prime word flashes for 150 ms, then participants decide whether the next string of letters is an English word. Word targets follow a related or an unrelated prime.
Core constructs
- Semantic memory
- Automatic spreading activation
- Visual word recognition
Research fit
- Semantic memory and language research
- Aging and bilingualism studies
- Group comparisons of automatic and expectancy-based priming
Paradigm overview
Semantic priming measures how the meaning of one word speeds recognition of a related word. On each trial a prime word in capital letters flashes for 150 ms, a blank follows, and then a target in lower case stays until a response or 2,000 ms. Participants decide whether the target is an English word, pressing F or J; which key means word is counterbalanced across sessions and shared with the lexical decision task.
The standard 80 trials hold 40 word targets and 40 nonword targets. Half the word targets follow a related prime (bread, butter) and half follow an unrelated prime. The related pairs were written for this task and kept only when their GloVe word-vector similarity was at least 0.5; unrelated trials re-pair primes and targets from the same half, with a similarity of 0.2 or less. Two counterbalancing lists, drawn from the session's seed, swap which half is related, so across sessions every target follows both kinds of prime. The prime and the blank switch on screen frames and their measured durations are saved. The time from prime onset to target onset is 200 ms (standard) or 1,200 ms. Practice has 8 trials with feedback.
The priming effect is the unrelated minus related mean correct response time to word targets; positive values mean related primes sped recognition. One person's priming effect is noisy, so the score is best used for group comparisons. The words are English, and sessions run in other languages are flagged for review.
Task design as built
The trial sequence participants see, as the test runs in ConductCognition. Settings a researcher can change are listed below.
- Trial
- A 500 ms cross, a prime in capitals for 150 ms, a blank, then the target until a response or 2,000 ms.
- Interval
- 200 ms from prime to target (standard) or 1,200 ms; the prime and the blank switch on screen frames.
- Items
- 80 targets: 20 after a related prime, 20 after an unrelated prime and 40 nonwords after word primes.
- Lists
- Two lists swap which targets follow related primes; each session's list comes from its seed.
- Keys
- F and J for word and nonword, counterbalanced across sessions.
- Practice
- 8 trials with feedback.
The related pairs were written for this task and checked with word-vector similarity. The words are English; sessions run in other languages are flagged for review.
Data you get
Every response is saved as it happens. Download scores for all plans, and every trial on yearly plans or with participant credits.
Trial columns for this test
- phase
- practice or test. Scores use test rows.
- trial_number
- Order of the trial within its phase.
- random_seed
- Seed of the session's trial order, to rebuild it.
- prime
- The prime word.
- target
- The target string.
- condition
- related, unrelated or nonword.
- similarity
- Word-vector similarity of prime and target, for word targets.
- list
- The session's counterbalancing list, A or B.
- soa_ms
- Planned time from prime onset to target onset.
- display_durations_ms
- Measured durations of the cross, the prime and the blank.
- frame_interval_ms
- The display's measured frame interval.
- correct_response
- The right key for the trial.
- response
- The key pressed, empty when none.
- rt
- Response time in ms from the moment the screen to answer appeared.
- correct
- Whether the key pressed was the right one.
- timed_out
- No key before the time limit.
- anticipation
- A key under 100 ms, too fast to be a response.
Columns in every export
- participant_id
- Short participant code, the same in every file of the study.
- external_id
- Your own participant ID, when you add one.
- test_version
- Task version the session ran.
- scoring_version
- Scoring version the scores came from.
- customization_status
- standard, or scored_modified when the study changed a setting.
- configuration_json
- The task settings the session ran with.
- is_valid
- The session's quality status (scores file).
- quality_primary_reason
- The main reason when a session needs review or is invalid (scores file).
- started_at
- When the session started (scores file).
- completed_at
- When the session ended (scores file).
Quality checks
Each session is marked valid, needs review or invalid, with the reason.
Scored rows: semantic_priming_test from the scored run, F or J for word or nonword target (chance 50%, half the targets are words) within 2,000 ms, correctness from the key for the target. Below chance invalidates and not above chance is flagged. One key on 90% of answers invalidates when accuracy is not above chance. Missed responses and responses under 100 ms follow the timed-test rule. A mean prime-to-target timing error above 20 ms, or a session run in a language other than English, is flagged for review.
No percentile. Scores and quality flags only.
Running this test
Settings you can change
| Setting | Standard | Allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Prime-to-target interval | 200 ms (standard) | 200 ms (standard), 1,200 ms |
Yearly plans can change settings within these limits. Free and pay-as-you-go studies use the standard settings.
Need a setting this test does not have?
Devices and languages
- Timed test: participants need a desktop or laptop with a mouse or trackpad. Participant devices
- Task text: English and Italian.
- Available on: Paid plans and pay as you go.
- No percentile. Scores and quality flags only. How norms work
- Recruiting online? See the setup guides for Prolific, Sona Systems, CloudResearch Connect and Qualtrics.
Cite and describe
Methods text, with the standard settings
Participants completed the Semantic Priming Task in a web browser (ConductCognition task version 1.0.0, scoring version 1.0.0; Meyer & Schvaneveldt, 1971), with the standard settings (prime-to-target interval: 200 ms). The priming effect was computed as the unrelated minus related mean correct response time to word targets. Mean response times used correct responses at or after 100 ms.
ConductCognition versions: task version 1.0.0, scoring version 1.0.0. Every export records the versions each session used, for a methods section.
- Meyer, D. E., & Schvaneveldt, R. W. (1971). Facilitation in recognizing pairs of words: Evidence of a dependence between retrieval operations. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 90(2), 227-234. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0031564
- Hutchison, K. A., Balota, D. A., Neely, J. H., Cortese, M. J., Cohen-Shikora, E. R., Tse, C.-S., Yap, M. J., Bengson, J. J., Niemeyer, D., & Buchanan, E. (2013). The semantic priming project. Behavior Research Methods, 45(4), 1099-1114. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-012-0304-z
Source papers
Meyer DE, Schvaneveldt RW (1971). Facilitation in recognizing pairs of words: evidence of a dependence between retrieval operations. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 90(2):227-234.
Paradigm sourceAdults
Hutchison KA, Balota DA, Neely JH, et al. (2013). The semantic priming project. Behavior Research Methods, 45(4):1099-1114.
Paradigm sourceAdults
Research FAQ
Common questions about this online cognitive test
What device does a participant need?
Timed test: participants need a desktop or laptop with a mouse or trackpad. The browser must be Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari.
What scores does it produce?
Priming Effect, Related RT, Unrelated RT, Related Accuracy, Unrelated Accuracy, Nonword Accuracy, Nonword RT and Timing Error. Each session is also marked valid, needs review or invalid, with the reason.
How is the priming effect computed?
Unrelated minus related mean correct RT to word targets.
How is the prime timing checked?
The mean gap between the measured and the planned prime-to-target interval.
Does it report a percentile?
No. Scores and quality flags only.
Which settings can a researcher change?
Prime-to-target interval (200 ms (standard), 1,200 ms). Settings can be changed on yearly plans; free and pay-as-you-go studies use the standard settings.
Which languages can participants use?
The test's own text is in English and Italian. Italian participant pages come with yearly plans.
Is this a clinical test?
No. ConductCognition is for research use only. It runs, scores and exports the test; clinical interpretation is outside the platform.
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