Jean-Baptiste, D. , Fiori, N. & Nicolas, S.
Laboratoire de Psychologie et Neuropsychologie Cognitive FRE 3292 CNRS - Université Paris Descartes
Performances on implicit test (priming) refer to facilitation to perform a task consequently to previous experiences but without to require its recollection (Schacter, 1987). But, it is not always certain whether an implicit task is performed solely on the basis of implicit memory. In order to investigate this possibility, first we manipulated factors which classically affect explicit performances but not priming on implicit memory test: repetition mode and age (Stevens, Wig, & Schacter, 2008) and, second we used a post-test questionnaire about completion strategy of participants. Based on the questionnaire, we differentiated two completion strategies: pure implicit strategy vs. explicit contamination (use, at least partially, intentional recollection). Interestingly, in the “implicit” group, young and elderly actually did not differ significantly on priming and priming was equivalent between repeated words in a massed vs. spaced fashion. Whereas young and elderly differed significantly on priming and priming differed too as a function of repetition mode, in the “explicit contamination” group. To conclude, we emphasized the necessity to check completion strategy of subject during implicit completion task. So, it will be interesting to develop a more objective method to check intentional recollection use in order to detect explicit contamination on priming.