Priming (psychology)
Priming, in psychology, refers to the unconscious influence that exposure to specific stimuli—such as words or images—has on an individual's thoughts and behaviors. This phenomenon is tied to implicit memory, which allows people to recall information and engage in actions without conscious awareness. For instance, after being exposed to words related to beverages, individuals may be more likely to think of "soda" when prompted with "s_ _ a," demonstrating how prior experiences can shape subsequent recall.
Research has shown that priming can significantly affect behavior, sometimes leading to unintended consequences. For example, individuals reminded of aging may walk more slowly, while thoughts of altruism associated with figures like Mother Teresa can encourage helping behaviors. However, these effects can be overridden by contrasting stimuli, such as images of money, which can shift priorities and actions away from selflessness.
Priming is also exploited in various contexts, such as advertising, where companies use strategic imagery and messaging to influence consumer behavior. Additionally, individuals can utilize self-priming techniques to enhance their own moods or behaviors, such as wearing certain colors to evoke specific feelings. Overall, priming operates subtly, often without conscious realization, yet its effects can be significant and far-reaching in shaping human behavior.
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Priming (psychology)
Priming is an act of the unconscious memory in which exposure to a certain word or experience influences a person to think or act in a way that is related to the word or experience. This process is part of implicit memory, a form of memory in which a person recalls facts, experiences, or behaviors without the need for any conscious effort. The effects of priming can be insignificant, such as reading a list of words and automatically recalling another related word that is not on the list. However, research has also shown that priming can be used to manipulate people's behavior without them realizing their actions are being controlled. Experts say that even people who are aware that such manipulation can occur can still be influenced to act in a specific way by priming.
Background
The word prime comes from the Latin word primus, meaning "first." In the early sixteenth century, the word began to be used in connection with filling something first, or before something else was filled. In the context of psychological priming, the word is used to refer to the idea of a person being exposed to, or "filled" with, a thought before being filled with a different thought.
Researchers began looking into the idea of social and psychological priming in the 1980s. A number of studies revealed that people who were exposed to a list of words would later choose a related word even when they were no longer looking at the original list. For instance, if a person looked at a list that included the words water, juice, and milk, and the person was later asked to think of a word that could fit into the format "s‗ ‗ a," that person was much more likely to choose the word soda over sofa, even though either word would fit. The list of words related to beverages "primed" or filled the memory with the idea of beverages so that soda came to mind more readily than sofa.
Researchers discovered that images and experiences could prompt a similar response. Showing people pictures of the same beverages and then asking them to fill in the blanks in a word would generally result in the person spelling soda instead of any other option. All of this happens because priming is a form of implicit memory, in which the brain generates a response without any conscious effort. For instance, implicit memory is at work when a person completes any routine task, such as tying shoes or writing. Implicit memory is the reason a person who is driving and talking to a passenger may suddenly find themself heading toward work when the true destination was somewhere else. In this scenario, the brain drew on the implicit memory skill of procedural memory, in which routine tasks are stored in a way that does not require conscious effort to recall and act on them. Priming works in a similar way.
Priming also makes it easier for people to recognize things in context. For instance, if someone spilled coffee over a recently completed research paper and the liquid made some of the words fade, it will be easier to determine what the words were because the subject of the paper is known. This puts the words in context, and knowing the context brings to mind words related to the subject that primes the implicit memory to identify the words with greater accuracy.
Overview
Much of the time, priming happens not only with the person remaining unaware of the priming experience but also without thinking about the fact that the response was influenced by priming. However, sometimes priming can be used to manipulate or encourage certain behaviors.
For instance, researchers discovered that students who were exposed to words related to some of the impediments of old age would walk more slowly afterward. Additionally, people who were encouraged to think about the Catholic saint Mother Teresa, known for her care for people experiencing poverty in India, would be more likely to spend time helping someone who approached and asked for assistance. However, researchers discovered that even this priming experience could be overridden with another priming experience. Although previous experience showed that thinking about the altruistic behavior of Mother Teresa could cause people to act in a similar selfless manner, being exposed to images of money after thinking about Mother Teresa could cause people to spend less time acting kindly and helping someone else. Conversely, when the task was something people are often paid for, like solving a certain kind of problem, seeing images of money could make them persist longer in accomplishing the task than if they did not see the images of money.
Companies and businesses can use priming techniques to manipulate people's behavior. For instance, a company that operates an honor bar for coffee and has a poster with an image of a company executive nearby will likely find that more people have put in the correct amount for coffee than if the poster featured a cartoon animal. Companies can take advantage of similar techniques to prime people to avoid shoplifting or to encourage people to buy certain products. In contrast, people can also create negative images of particular places, products, or people by priming with negative words.
Research has also determined that people can be primed to act by their own thoughts. People who were asked to think of something about which they were ashamed were found to be more likely to buy cleaning products than other merchandise, as if to clean themselves of the shameful act. Advertisers can activate this aspect of priming by using imagery in ads that are likely to trigger embarrassing or uncomfortable thoughts.
Even if people are aware that priming is happening, they are not likely to be immune to its effects. Research has even determined that a person can prime themself to encourage a particular result. For instance, color can influence mood; therefore, people can use this to prime personal behavior in themselves and others. A person can wear red clothing to encourage energy and blue or green to encourage calm. A person can spray cleaning solution in a sink or a small section of a room that will likely trigger a priming effect in another person's sense of smell and create the impression that the entire room is freshly cleaned.
Bibliography
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Molden, Daniel C. "Understanding Priming Effects in Social Psychology: What Is 'Social Priming' and How Does It Occur?" Social Cognition, 2014, www.psychology.northwestern.edu/documents/faculty-publications/molden-priming‗2014a.pdf. Accessed 24 Nov. 2017.
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Whitbourne, Susan Krauss. "Need Some Extra Cash? Try a Little Altruism." Psychology Today, 1 Dec. 2012, www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201212/need-some-extra-cash-try-little-altruism. Accessed 24 Nov. 2017.
Zimmerman, Kim Ann. "Implicit Memory: Definition and Examples." Live Science, 12 Feb. 2014, www.livescience.com/43353-implicit-memory.html. Accessed 24 Nov. 2017.