What term is used to describe semi-independent communication between modules?

• A. Cross modal priming
• B. Information encapsulation
• C. Double dissociation
• D. Gradual modularisation

Answer: (A)

Cross-modal priming reflects how processing in one cognitive module can influence another, indicating semi-independent but connected systems. When exposure to a stimulus in one modality (like hearing a word) facilitates processing in a different modality (such as recognizing a matching image), it shows that modules can communicate without being fully integrated. This cross-modal interaction is exactly what’s meant by semi-independent communication between modules. Information encapsulation would imply the modules are completely insulated and cannot affect each other, which isn’t the case here. Double dissociation describes separate, independent deficits across tasks and doesn’t capture the mechanism of cross-modality communication. Gradual modularisation isn’t the standard term for this phenomenon.