Parameters of implicit priming in aphasia

Deficits in aphasia may be due, in part, to alterations in implicit processing mechanisms (e.g., automatic spreading activation). Using a lexical decision task, this hypothesis was investigated in 21 individuals with aphasia and 31 control participants by contrasting reaction times to targets preceded by a subliminally presented identity prime versus an unrelated prime. Individuals with aphasia exhibited implicit priming effects, but of a different nature and time course than seen with typical participants. Accordingly, the role of implicit processing is supported as being an important factor in explaining aphasia and in considering the use of implicit vs. explicit treatment methods