Rapid response learning of brand logo priming: Evidence that brand priming is not dominated by rapid response learning

Repetition priming increases the accuracy and speed of responses to repeatedly processed stimuli. Repetition priming can result from two complementary sources: rapid response learning and facilitation within perceptual and conceptual networks. In conceptual classification tasks, rapid response learning dominates priming of object recognition, but it does not dominate priming of person recognition. This suggests that the relative engagement of network facilitation and rapid response learning depends on the stimulus domain. Here, we addressed the importance of the stimulus domain for rapid response learning by investigating priming in another domain, brands. In three experiments, participants performed conceptual decisions for brand logos. Strong priming was present, but it was not dominated by rapid response learning. These findings add further support to the importance of the stimulus domain for the relative importance of network facilitation and rapid response learning, and they indicate that brand priming is more similar to person recognition priming than object recognition priming, perhaps because priming of both brands and persons requires individuation.

Molecular Mechanisms of Mechanoreceptor Adaptation

Mechanoreceptor adaptation to maintained stimulation serves to maximize dynamic sensitivity over a broad stimulus domain. Mechanosensitive channel currents in hair cells and oocytes show similar voltage-dependent adaptation. However, in the hair cell, adaptation appears dependent on Ca2+ influx, whereas in the oocyte, it is intrinsically voltage sensitive.

Validity and Structural Reliability of Multidimensional Scaling

The author examines the convergent and discriminant validity of multidimensional scaling (MDS) using the multitrait-multimethod matrix approach. An assessment also is made of the impact on MDS solutions due to embedding of stimuli in similar stimuli and due to change in stimulus domain introduced via different kinds of stimuli. The results indicate reasonable validity and that MDS solutions are fairly robust to the impact of embedding but less robust to changes in stimulus domain.