Irrelevant Stimuli
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
Irrelevant stimuli are words used in an association experiment that do not provoke affective reactions or response delays in the subject. Unlike emotionally charged trigger words, neutral words like 'table' or 'window' serve as examples of irrelevant stimuli.
Encyclopedia entry (1928–1936)
IRRELEVANT STIMULI, such words which in an association experiment do not elicit affective reactions. When a subject is asked to respond to a spoken or read word with the first word that comes to mind, certain words cause a delay in response due to an affective reaction (for example, sometimes words like "love" or "grief"). Other words ("table", "window") do not elicit affective reactions; they are called irrelevant stimuli.
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Cite this page
“Irrelevant Stimuli.” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.pages.dev/article/irrelevant-stimuli/