Expectancy generation and utilization

Abstract

Although the research of Balota, Black and Cheney (1992) has shown attentional deficits in older adults to be detrimental to performance in semantic priming tasks which require a shift of attention away from a presented category, no attempt has been made to link performance to measures of attentional control. The current study utilizes the same paradigm as Balota, Black and Cheney with participants' attentional control measured using the battery of Hutchison (in press). Results show ability not only to generate expectancy for the target category, but to override automatic processes initiated by the prime word is tied to attentional control. Unfortunately, the attempt of Balota, Black and Cheney to estimate expectancy generation when no shift of attention is required may require revision.