AUTOMATIC ACTIVATION OF IMPRESSION-FORMATION AND MEMORIZATION GOALS -NONCONSCIOUS GOAL PRIMING REPRODUCES EFFECTS OF EXPLICIT TASK INSTRUCTIONS

According to the auto-motive model (J. A. Bargh, 1990), intentions and goals are represented mentally and, as representations, should be cap able of nonconscious activation by the environmental context (i.e., '' priming''). To test this hypothesis, the authors replicated 2 well-kno wn experiments that had demonstrated differential effects of varying t he information-processing goal (impression formation or memorization) on processing the identical behavioral information. However, instead o f giving participants the goals via explicit instructions, as had been done in the original studies, the authors primed the impression forma tion or memorization goal. In both cases, the original pattern of resu lts was reproduced. The findings thus support the hypothesis that the effect of activated goals is the same whether the activation is noncon scious or through an act of will.