Four experiments are reported to address the theory that monitoring for a target word increases activation of that target. Previous research has found some evidence for this proposition, but has been compromised by demand characteristics. To avoid this, the present study depended upon the weak demand characteristics of the lexical decision task and the expectancy effect. It was found that priming due to monitoring in the lexical decision task was (1) not affected by stimulus onset asynchrony;​ (2) could be voluntarily increased by participants, and (3) was reduced by mental load. Additionally, it was found that (4) instructions not to prime were effective until mental load was introduced.

Wagner's theory of ironic processes holds that the process of monitoring could be responsible for the difficulty some people report with the suppression of unwanted thoughts. His theory was supported in that monitoring for target words activated those words but the automaticity of that process was brought into question by evidence for some strategic control.