Joe studies a list of words that includes the word motel. He later completes the word fragment mot--- with the word motel instead of the word mother even though he does not consciously recall studying the word motel. This behavior likely occurs because of _____.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Joe's behavior is likely due to priming, a phenomenon where a person's exposure to a stimulus (in this case, studying the word motel) influences their response to a related stimulus (completing the word fragment "mot---"). Even though Joe may not consciously remember studying the word motel, the mental activation of that word as a related stimulus may have influenced his response. The other options (classical conditioning, episodic memory, and iconic memory) do not directly explain Joe's behavior in this scenario.

Joe Studies a List of Words That Includes the Word