Question 23

People are more likely to think statements are true if they have been exposed to them before, even if they cannot recall hearing the information in the past.

This example illustrates the priming effect as it shows how prior exposure to information influences a person's judgment, leading them to perceive statements as true due to familiarity, despite a lack of explicit memory of the exposure.

A) People have difficulty recalling names of a set of job interviewees after they have just been introduced to another set of job interviewees.

This option describes a situation related to working memory overload rather than the priming effect. Difficulty recalling names indicates a challenge in active memory retrieval rather than an implicit memory influence where previous exposure affects recognition or belief.

B) People respond more slowly to questions that their doctors have previously asked them, experiencing overload of their working memory.

While this scenario discusses memory response time, it does not capture the essence of the priming effect. It focuses on the cognitive load and retrieval process rather than how prior exposure subtly influences attitudes or perceptions, which is central to priming.

C) People describe consumer goods as familiar if they have seen them before but never tried them personally.

Although this option touches on familiarity, it does not explicitly demonstrate the priming effect. It suggests recognition based on previous exposure but lacks the component of how that exposure influences belief about the goods, which is a critical aspect of priming.

D) People are more likely to think statements are true if they have been exposed to them before, even if they cannot recall hearing the information in the past.

This example perfectly encapsulates the priming effect, showing how repeated exposure can lead to a belief in the truth of statements based on familiarity, irrespective of conscious recollection. This aligns with the definition of implicit memory as it highlights the subconscious influence of prior experiences on current judgments.

Conclusion

Option D is definitively correct as it directly illustrates the priming effect through the relationship between exposure and belief in the truth of statements. In contrast, the other options either focus on retrieval difficulties, cognitive overload, or mere recognition, failing to demonstrate how implicit memories affect perception and judgment in the way that the priming effect does.