DIRECT PRIMING

The purposes of this article are to review literature on direct priming (or repetition priming) and to comment on the current literature and its perspectives. Among a number of studies concerning direct priming, two categories of studies were mainly discussed: One is concerned with longevity of priming effects, and the other is concerned with variables which influence direct priming. Most of the former research has demonstrated long-lasting priming effects, but the theoretical account remains unclear. The latter has presented a variety of inconsistent findings. Finally three directions for future research were pointed out: methodological investigation, expanding research targets, and interaction among different approaches.