Jerwen Jou

University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley, Psychological Science, Faculty Member

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I have a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Kansas State University. Currently I am Professor of Psychology at Department of Psychological Science, University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley in USA.
Address: 365 Liberal Arts Building North, University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX

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DRM dataset

data from the control group and the experimental group

Can an isolated middle-series item make a “Dent” in the bow-shaped serial-position curve of comparative judgments?

Psychological research, May 27, 2024

Unconscious Integration of Categorical Relationship of Two Subliminal Numbers in Comparison with “5”

Behavioral sciences, Apr 4, 2024

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more

format_quoteResults showed a positive compatibility effect (PCE) and a negative compatibility effect (NCE) under manipulated ISIs, contradicting typical expectations for short ISI.format_quote

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Russian and Soviet Psychology in the Changing Political Environments

The Effects of Semantic Relatedness on Memory Retrieval and Discrimination of Words

PsycEXTRA Dataset, 2000

False memory can be implicitly discriminated from true memory

PsycEXTRA Dataset, 2009

The magic number four: Can it explain Sternberg's serial memory scan data?

Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Feb 1, 2001

A physiological model for short-term memory (STM) based on dual theta (5-10 Hz) and gamma (20-60 ... more A physiological model for short-term memory (STM) based on dual theta (5-10 Hz) and gamma (20-60 Hz) oscillation was proposed by Lisman and Idiart (1995). In this model a memory is represented by groups of neurons that fire in the same gamma cycle. According to this model, capacity is determined by the number of gamma cycles that occur within the slower theta cycle. We will discuss here the implications of recent reports on theta oscillations recorded in humans performing the Sternberg task. Assuming that the oscillatory memory models are correct, these findings can help determine STM capacity.

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Event order versus syntactic structure in recall of adverbial complex sentences

Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 1990

Two experiments using recall of sentences examined two contrasting principles of clause ordering ... more Two experiments using recall of sentences examined two contrasting principles of clause ordering in a type of complex sentences: the main-clause-first (syntactic) principle and the event-order (or temporal-causal order) pri;, ciple. In Experiment 1, these two principles were studied in complex sentences with a main clause and a subordinate adverbial clause-e.g., "When she heard the thunder, she stopped playing Frisbee." In sentences of this type the subordinate clause typically describes a temporally or causally antecedent event, while the main clause describes a subsequent event in the temporal-causal sequence. These two principles make opposite predictions on what is the psychologically simpler or preferred order of the two clauses in this type of complex sentence. Results of Experiment 1 showed an overall preference in memory for main-clause-first order. In Experiment 2, complex sentences with a main clause and a subordinate clause not temporally or causally related were also used in a sentence recall task Similar results were obtained. The implication of these findings for the determinants of linguistic structures was discussed. The purpose of this study was to critically test the psychological validity of two theories about a type of complex sentences. The first type of syntactic construction examined in the study was the class of adverbial complex sentences composed of a main clause and a subordinate adverbial clause, such as When the driver saw the red light, he stopped the car. An important feature of such sentences is that typically the subordinate clause describes an event that is tem-We would like to thank William F. Brewer for the countless discussions with him throughout the period of conducting the research, for his help in the construction of the test sentences, and for his reading and editing of the earlier versions of the paper. We also thank Elissa Newport for her reading an early version of this paper and for her comments.

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How do multiple masked relevant prime stimuli affect a conscious response: Two prime arrows produce independent priming effects on the target response

Research Square (Research Square), Mar 16, 2022

Since there are a lot of sources of unconscious information in our mind, there is a possibility t... more Since there are a lot of sources of unconscious information in our mind, there is a possibility that multiple channels of unconscious information can affect a response at the same time. However, this question has been largely ignored by the researchers. In the present study, we presented two opposite pointing arrows as the masked primes followed by a target arrow. The results suggested that the two pointing directions of the two prime arrows in uenced the response to the target simultaneously and independently, i.e. the overall priming effect caused by the two opposite pointing prime arrows was equal to the net effect of the individual congruent effect elicited by the same pointing prime arrow and the individual incongruent priming effect induced by the opposite pointing prime arrow. In addition, in Experiment 1, a biased delayed response to the target was observed when the target arrow and the opposite pointing prime arrow were closely positioned in space due to Gestalt proximity grouping.

format_quoteThe study utilized two simultaneous masked primes affecting the target response, indicating simultaneous processing of unconscious stimuli.format_quote

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The development of comprehension of double negation in Chinese children

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, Jun 1, 1988

format_quoteSignificant differences in error rates revealed: affirmative sentences 13.7%, negative 16.2%, and double negatives 61.2% (p < .0001).format_quote

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Neural correlates of the “Aha” experiences: Evidence from an fMRI study of insight problem solving

Cortex, Mar 1, 2010

This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the a... more This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the authors institution and sharing with colleagues. Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal, institutional or third party websites are prohibited. In most cases authors are permitted to post their version of the article (e.g. in Word or Tex form) to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding Elsevier's archiving and manuscript policies are encouraged to visit: http://www.elsevier.com/copyright

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Reading inflectionally incogruent texts: The automatic and strategic processes in language performance

Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, Sep 1, 1992

Subjects were asked to read out loud at the fastest possible speed texts containing incorrectly i... more Subjects were asked to read out loud at the fastest possible speed texts containing incorrectly inflected verbs exactly as the texts were printed. A control condition (errorfree texts) and two error conditions were used, one with half of the verbs (50%) containing errors, and the other with all the verbs (100%) containing error. Compared With reading correct texts, reading in the 50% condition was slower and more frequently impeded by different kinds of perturbations. This lowered performance was considered to have resulted from interference produced by covert involuntary activation of prior linguistic associations between the contexts and the appropriate verb forms. Performance in the 100% condition improved over the 50% condition. The improvement suggests that a strategicprocess had been induced to deal with the task demands. The main theoretical point is that complex mental processes such as language performance are automatic, and yet not rigid, unlike what the classic view of automaticity would predict.

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Can associative information be strategically separated from item information in word-pair recognition?

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, Dec 1, 2010

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Task-switching cost and repetition priming: Two overlooked confounds in the fixed-set procedure of the Sternberg paradigm and how they affect memory set-size effects

Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, Oct 1, 2014

Subjects performed Sternberg-type memory recognition tasks (Sternberg paradigm) in four experimen... more Subjects performed Sternberg-type memory recognition tasks (Sternberg paradigm) in four experiments. Category-instance names were used as learning and testing materials. Sternberg's original experiments demonstrated a linear relation between reaction time (RT) and memory-set size (MSS). A few later studies found no relation, and other studies found a nonlinear relation (logarithmic) between the two variables. These deviations were used as evidence undermining Sternberg's serial scan theory. This study identified two confounding variables in the fixed-set procedure of the paradigm (where multiple probes are presented at test for a learned memory set) that could generate a MSS RT function that was either flat or logarithmic rather than linearly increasing. These two confounding variables were task-switching cost and repetition priming. The former factor worked against smaller memory sets and in favour of larger sets whereas the latter factor worked in the opposite way. Results demonstrated that a null or a logarithmic RT-to-MSS relation could be the artefact of the combined effects of these two variables. The Sternberg paradigm has been used widely in memory research, and a thorough understanding of the subtle methodological pitfalls is crucial. It is suggested that a varied-set procedure (where only one probe is presented at test for a learned memory set) is a more contamination-free procedure for measuring the MSS effects, and that if a fixed-set procedure is used, it is worthwhile examining the RT function of the very first trials across the MSSs, which are presumably relatively free of contamination by the subsequent trials.

Unconscious integration of pointing relation between two masked arrows

Visual Cognition, Aug 14, 2017

ABSTRACT In the present study, by using a briefly masked prime display paradigm, we investigated ... more ABSTRACT In the present study, by using a briefly masked prime display paradigm, we investigated whether the pointing relation (same or different) between two unconsciously perceived arrows in the prime could be processed. Since only motor response priming can reflect unconscious processing of two arrows’ pointing-direction relation (i.e., a relational integration), we could distinguish the motor response priming from the visual priming in this study which in other studies were not separated. We also manipulated the prime-to-target stimulus onset asynchronies (SOA) by using a 70 ms and a 180 ms SOA. In this experiment, two masked arrow signs pointing in the same or different directions (> > or > <) were simultaneously presented in the prime, followed by two arrow symbols also pointing in the same or different directions in the target. The participants were asked to decide whether the two arrows in the target were pointing in the same or different directions. The results did not show any visual priming effect, but did show that the unconsciously perceived pointing relation in the prime elicited a positive motor response priming effect in RT under the 70 ms SOA condition, and a negative motor response priming effect in accuracy under the 180 ms SOA condition. The results were discussed in terms of self-motor-inhibition (or mask-triggered inhibition) and attention mechanisms. Overall, this study indicated that the pointing relation between the two subliminal arrows in the prime could influence the subsequent responses to the target and suggested that people can integrate unconsciously perceived information.

The Semantic Integration Between Two Subliminally Perceived Words Simultaneously Presented at Different Locations

Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, May 17, 2019

In the present study, we showed evidence of an integration between two unconscious semantic repre... more In the present study, we showed evidence of an integration between two unconscious semantic representations. In experiment 1, two masked Chinese words of the same or different categories ("orange apple" or "grape hammer") were simultaneously presented in the prime, followed by two Chinese words also of same or different categories in the target. We examined possible prime/target visual feature priming, semantic category priming and motor response priming effects. Moreover, two ISI intervals (53, 163 ms) between the prime and the target words were used to examine the positive and negative priming. The results revealed a negative motor response priming and a positive semantic category priming effect independent of the ISI when the target words were of the same category. Experiment 2 eliminated an alternative interpretation of the effect based on different number of category words changed across the prime and the target. Experiment 3 eliminated a potential confound of unequal numbers of trials for motor congruent and incongruent conditions in Experiment 1. Overall, these results indicated an integration between the meanings of the two subliminally perceived words in the prime. The difference between simultaneous and sequential presentations, and the reason why positive priming was not observed when the interval between the prime and the target was short were discussed in the context of unconscious semantic integration.

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Memory Retrieval Profile of the DRM False Memory in the Sternberg Paradigm: The Role of Distractors

PsycEXTRA Dataset, 2014

Category-selective attention interacts with partial awareness processes in a continuous manner: An fMRI study

Cogent psychology, Jun 3, 2015

Recently, our team found that category-selective attention could modulate tool processing at the ... more Recently, our team found that category-selective attention could modulate tool processing at the partial awareness level and unconscious face processing in the middle occipital gyrus (MOG). However, the modulation effects in MOG were in opposite directions across the masked tool and masked face conditions in that study: MOG activation decreased in the masked faces condition but increased in the masked tools condition under the consistent compared with the inconsistent cue-selective-attentional modulation. In the present study, in order to confirm that the opposite effects were due to the changed contours of the tools, using the same tool pictures and fMRI technique, we devised another two conditions: variant mirror tool picture condition and invariant tool picture condition. The results showed that, during the variant mirror tool picture condition, activation in the MOG decreased under tool-selective attention compared with face-selective attention. Interestingly, however, during the invariant tool picture condition, activation in the MOG revealed neither positive nor negative changes. Combined with the result of increased MOG activity in the changed different tool condition, the three different effects demonstrated not only that the unconscious component of partial awareness processing (no knowledge of the identity of the tool) could be modulated by the category-selective attention in the earlier visual cortex but also that the modulation effect could further interact with the conscious component of partial awareness processing (consciousness of the changing contour of the tool) in a continuous manner.

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Can unconscious sequential integration of semantic information occur when the prime Chinese characters are displayed from left to right?

Attention, perception & psychophysics, Jul 16, 2019

Recent studies have investigated whether conscious awareness is necessary for semantic integratio... more Recent studies have investigated whether conscious awareness is necessary for semantic integration. Although results have varied, simultaneous presentation of words have consistently led to greater semantic integration than sequential presentation in a single location. The current studies were designed to investigate whether the disadvantage of sequential presentation for unconscious semantic integration is specific to unfamiliar word-byword presentation in one location or extends to the more natural reading conditions of viewing items sequentially from left to right. In Experiment 1, when the first three characters of Chinese idioms were presented simultaneously under masked conditions, performance on a separate two-alternative forcedchoice recognition task was at chance level. Despite being unaware of the identity of prime characters, participants were faster to indicate that a subsequent item was a Chinese character when it was congruent with the beginning of the idiom, thus providing evidence of semantic integration. In contrast, when the three (Experiment 2) or two (Experiment 3) prime characters were presented sequentially in time from left to right, there was no evidence of semantic integration. These results indicate that unconscious semantic integration is more limited than previously reported, and may require simultaneous visual presentation.

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Unconscious Processing of Facial Emotional Valence Relation: Behavioral Evidence of Integration between Subliminally Perceived Stimuli

PLOS ONE, Sep 13, 2016

Although a few studies have investigated the integration between some types of unconscious stimul... more Although a few studies have investigated the integration between some types of unconscious stimuli, no research has yet explored the integration between unconscious emotional stimuli. This study was designed to provide behavioral evidence for the integration between unconsciously perceived emotional faces (same or different valence relation) using a modified priming paradigm. In two experiments, participants were asked to decide whether two faces in the target, which followed two subliminally presented faces of same or different emotional expressions, were of the same or different emotional valence. The interstimulus interval (ISI) between the prime and the target was manipulated (0, 53, 163 ms). In Experiment 1, prime visibility was assessed post-experiment. In Experiment 2, it was assessed on each trial. Interestingly, in both experiments, unconsciously processed valence relation of the two faces in the prime generated a negative priming effect in the response to the supraliminally presented target, independent of the length of ISI. Further analyses suggested that the negative priming was probably caused by a motor response incongruent relation between the subliminally perceived prime and the supraliminally perceived target. The visual feature incongruent relation across the prime and target was not found to play a role in the negative priming. Because the negative priming was found at short ISI, an attention mechanism as well as a motor inhibition mechanism were proposed in the generation of the negative priming effect. Overall, this study indicated that the subliminal valence relation was processed, and that integration between different unconsciously perceived stimuli could occur.

format_quoteThe study showed that unconscious emotional valence relations influenced negative priming effects, validating integration without consciousness across various ISI durations.format_quote

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