干擾訊息的干擾與被抑制

Interference and Inhibition of Distractors

本研究採用負向促發效果的實驗典範，旨在探討干擾物激發量與其干擾效果的關係，並驗證干擾效果對於負向促發效果的重要性。依據絕對性觀點，激發量愈高的干擾物有愈強的干擾效果。相對性觀點則認為干擾物的激發量需與目標物的激發量相比較，只有干擾物激發量不低於目標物時，有較強的干擾效果。情境性觀點則預期當干擾物激發量與目標物激發量相若時，有較強的干擾效果。本研究在三個實驗之中操弄促發項、偵測項的目標物、干擾物的激發量，得到支持情境性觀點的結果。此外，本研究也顯示，依循情境性觀點對於干擾效果強弱的預期，在偵測項干擾物與促發項干擾物均有較強干擾的條件下，方有負向促發效果的出現。

The relationships among distractor activation, distractor interference, and distractor inhibition were investigated through a negative priming paradigm. Two issues were addressed in this study. First, the authors studied the relation-ship between distractor activation and distractor interference, to see what kind of distractors can produce a larger interference effect on target processing. Second, the effect of prime distractor interference and probe distractor interference on negative priming were examined, to see whether negative priming is contingent on distractor interference. In Experiment 1, assuming that the activation level of an item increases as it is repeatedly presented in one experimental session, the authors orthogonally manipulated activation level of prime target and prime dis- tractor to be either high or low. The results indicate that distractor can produce a larger interference effect when it is in the same activation state as the target is. That is, when target and distractor are both in a state of high activation or both in a state of low activation, the distractor interference effect on target processing is larger. Furthermore, negative priming is significant only when both prime distractor interference and probe distractor interference are large. Experiment 2 and Experiment 3 manipulated the activation level of prime target and probe distractor, and confirmed that negative priming manifests only when interference from both prime distractor and probe distractor is high. This study reveals how the interaction between activation level of target and activation level of distractor influences the dynamics of distractor interference, and indicates that interference in both prime trials and probe trials is critical to the manifestation of negative priming. Implications on models of negative priming are discussed.