Repetition priming

Priming (psychology)

Priming is an implicit memory effect in which exposure to a stimulus influences a response to a later stimulus. It can occur following perceptual, semantic, or conceptual stimulus repetition...

refers to the finding that an initial presentation of a stimulus

Stimulus (physiology)

In physiology, a stimulus is a detectable change in the internal or external environment. The ability of an organism or organ to respond to external stimuli is called sensitivity....

 influences the way in which an individual will respond to that stimulus when it is presented at a later time. The response to a specific item that has been encountered recently (a word, for example) will be faster and more accurate compared to another item that has not. Repetition priming assesses implicit memory

Implicit memory

Implicit memory is a type of memory in which previous experiences aid in the performance of a task without conscious awareness of these previous experiences. Evidence for implicit memory arises in priming, a process whereby subjects show improved performance on tasks for which they have been...

 (or non-declarative memory), a memory system that does not require conscious awareness

Awareness

Awareness is the state or ability to perceive, to feel, or to be conscious of events, objects or sensory patterns. In this level of consciousness, sense data can be confirmed by an observer without necessarily implying understanding. More broadly, it is the state or quality of being aware of...

. For example, the faster response to a stimulus resulting from repetition priming will occur even if the individual does not consciously recall seeing that particular stimulus.