Analyzing Lexical Boost Effects in Priming of the Passive in Brazilian Portuguese / Analisando os efeitos de identidade lexical no priming da passiva no português brasileiro

Abstract

The lexical boost effect is an increase in the magnitude of structural priming effects when prime and target verbs are identical. This study investigates the connection of lexical boost to priming effects of the passive construction in Brazilian Portuguese (BP) in an image description task to contribute to the debate about whether lexical boost effects are a result of surface word repetition or a connection between the lexical item in the working memory and the structure in long-term memory. The task measured subjects’ working memory (WM) capacity and manipulated task protocol by adding a matching cover task to the picture description task. Data collected indicate that structural priming effects in the image description task were contingent on lexical identity, presenting a positive correlation with choice of structure in the description. WM capacity did not influence priming effects, nor did subjects’ performance in the cover task. Results provide evidence in favor of lexical boost effects being a result of residual activation of the connection between lexical item and structure. They also provide insight about the task and its applicability to priming effects of the passive