Research participants are separated into two groups. Participants in group 1 are asked to think of an animal beginning with the letter "p." Participants in group 2 are asked to think of a vegetable beginning with the letter "p." Immediately after, both groups are asked to think of an animal that begins with the letter "d." The responses on this final "d" task are timed. What will the results show?
A) Consistent with the spreading activation model, people in group 1 respond more quickly than those in group 2.
B) Consistent with the spreading activation model, people in groups 1 and 2 respond equally quickly.
C) Contrary to the spreading activation model, people in group 1 respond more quickly than those in group 2.
D) Contrary to the spreading activation model, people in groups 1 and 2 respond equally quickly.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The spreading activation model of memory suggests that when a concept is activated, the activation spreads to related concepts. Therefore, participants in group 1, who were already thinking about animals, would respond more quickly to the task of thinking of an animal beginning with "d" because their minds are already primed for thinking about animals, compared to group 2, who were thinking about vegetables.

Research Participants Are Separated into Two Groups