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Module overview

In this module, you will create and carry out your own priming experiment. This is a major project which will require several steps:

• Deciding what kind of priming you would like to test, and what your predictions are;
• Making the list of words that you will use in the experiment;
• Making the DMDX or PsychoPy scripts to run the experiment;
• Recruiting volunteers to participate in your experiment;
• Analyzing the data you collect;
• Writing a report of your results.

The goal of this module is for you to gain experience in actually conducting psycholinguistic research, and get familiar with the kinds of issues that emerge when you conduct an experiment.

All the activities in this module can be done alone or with one partner.

Module instructions

This module includes seven tasks. Most of the tasks are locked such that you cannot proceed to the next task until you show me your work on the first task and get approved to move on to the next one. Therefore, whenever you finish one task, it may take 1-2 days before you are able to advance to the next task (assuming you have completed the task correctly and don't need to redo it). Please plan your time accordingly; do not leave this module for the last minute. I expect that it may normally take 2 or 3 weeks to complete this module.

In the fourth week of class, we'll spend the whole class talking about this project and helping you get started on it, but you are welcome to start as soon as you want.

Next to each task I have written an estimate of how much time you might need to complete the task. This is, of course, a rough estimate, and the real time may be different for different students.

Module activities

1. Decide which type of priming to test (2 hours)
2. Make your word list (6 hours)
3. Make an experiment (choose which software you want to use)
   • Make a DMDX experiment (10 hours; not recommended for Mac users)
   • Make a PsychoPy experiment (10 hours)
4. How to analyze data (1-3 hours)
5. How to make statistical conclusions (2 hours)
6. Do the experiment! (6-10 hours)
7. Submit your report (5 hours)

Detailed overview

Here is a document describing all the steps of the project along with the points you will receive for completing each step: priming experiment details

by Eric Pelzl, modified from content originally created and shared by Stephen Politzer-Ahles. Last modified on 2025-Sep-21. CC-BY-4.0.