Table 1.

Example stimulus sets showing each of the four conditions described in the text.

Condition	Context	Target sentence
Associated congruent	Rick was unaware that his sister had submitted his poem in the prestigious contest. He was shocked when he won the award and the hefty cash prize	He was not prepared for the fame and FORTUNE
Unassociated congruent	Rick was unaware that his sister had submitted his poem in the prestigious contest. He was shocked when he won the award and the hefty cash prize	He was not prepared for the fame and PRAISE
Associated incongruent	Rick was mortified when the videotape of his arrest was shown on the news. After the news show aired, he was ridiculed by the entire neighborhood	He was not prepared for the fame and FORTUNE
Unassociated incongruent	Rick was mortified when the videotape of his arrest was shown on the news. After the news show aired, he was ridiculed by the entire neighborhood	He was not prepared for the fame and PRAISE
Associated congruent	Although he tried very hard, Ben’s cooking skills were pathetic at best. His latest attempt at making marinara sauce was particularly bland and unappetizing	Luckily Ben had picked up some salt and PEPPER
Unassociated congruent	Although he tried very hard, Ben’s cooking skills were pathetic at best. His latest attempt at making marinara sauce was particularly bland and unappetizing	Luckily Ben had picked up some salt and BASIL
Associated incongruent	Todd slipped on a large patch of ice near his front step. He wanted to be sure the ice melted before anyone else took a fall	Luckily Todd had picked up some salt and PEPPER
Unassociated incongruent	Todd slipped on a large patch of ice near his front step. He wanted to be sure the ice melted before anyone else took a fall	Luckily Todd had picked up some salt and BASIL

For clarification, the primes are shown in italics and target words are capitalized; during the experiment these words were not specifically emphasized.