antipriming
|an-ti-pri-ming|
/ˌæn.tiˈpraɪ.mɪŋ/
(antiprime)
opposite of prime; many divisors
Etymology
'antipriming' originates from modern English, formed by combining the prefix 'anti-' (ultimately from Greek 'anti', where 'anti-' meant 'against') and the gerund/nominal form 'priming' (from the verb 'prime').
'prime' in English developed from Old French 'primer' (to prepare or make first) and ultimately from Latin roots related to 'primus' (first); 'priming' is the -ing form of 'prime', and the modern compound 'antipriming' was created by adding English 'anti-' to 'priming'.
Initially the components meant 'against' and (related to) 'first/prepare'; over time the compound 'antipriming' has come to denote specifically a reduction or suppression of processing caused by prior exposure, i.e., an effect opposite to 'priming'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a phenomenon in cognitive psychology in which prior exposure to certain stimuli reduces (rather than facilitates) subsequent recognition or processing of related stimuli; essentially the opposite of priming.
The experiment revealed antipriming: participants were slower and less accurate for items similar to those seen earlier.
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Verb 1
to cause or produce antipriming; to reduce responsiveness or ease of processing of stimuli by prior exposure.
In that study the researchers were deliberately antipriming certain categories to test interference effects.
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Adjective 1
describing an effect, condition, or manipulation that produces or relates to antipriming.
They reported an antipriming effect in the reaction-time data.
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Last updated: 2025/09/07 20:47