The term "priming" comes from psychology and refers to the preparation of a stimulus-response pattern. The phenomenon can be translated as initiation, preparation. Priming effects and the resulting behaviors are used particularly frequently in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). Priming is also of interest to marketing experts. We explain what is behind it and how you can use the priming effect.
A look at history: Siegmund Exner and John Bargh as the fathers of priming
The Austrian physiologist Siegmund Exner was already working on the principle of pathways in 1894. He described the connections between memory, associations and perceptions. He discovered that the more frequently certain actions are repeated, the more fluid the process. In numerous studies, he investigated how connections are established in the brain. Current psychology and brain research has confirmed Exner's theories, and the idea of a neuronal network is now considered proven.
The American psychologist John A. Bargh continued his research and showed how behavior can be influenced by certain triggers. In 1996, he conducted an experiment with two test groups. He used lists of words that dealt with two opposing contents. The first group was given a list of words that dealt with the topic of "old", such as cane, forgetful, bald, wrinkles. The second group was given a list of words that are generally associated with "young", for example party, sport, spontaneous, agile. It was important that the actual key terms "old" and "young" did not appear. The participants were asked to form sentences from the words on the lists and then leave the test room. It turned out that the "old" group took considerably longer and walked more slowly than the "young" group.
Another experiment with a word environment was based on words that implied characteristics such as "having time, waiting, being patient". The test subjects were asked to form sentences from these words and present the results to the experimenter in person. The task itself was simple, but the aim was not to form the cleverest possible sentences. Rather, the experiment was designed to illustrate the point: The experimenter was having a conversation with another professor. More than 80 percent of the participating students were so influenced by the words that they did not interrupt the conversation but waited. An interruption would have seemed impolite to them. The subliminal messages led to the test participants being primed to the association field "patience". From this it can be deduced that priming is a more or less gentle to strong manipulation.
The detailed results and findings of John Bargh and the participating psychologists Mark Chen and Lara Burrows can be read in "Automaticity of Social Behavior: Direct Effects of Trait Construct and Stereotype Activation on Action", published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 71.
Factors that can be used for priming
Many types of stimuli are suitable for achieving priming effects. Texts, videos and films are possible, but also music and smells. You can prime yourself, both positively and negatively. Imagine you are faced with a difficult task. If you prepare yourself mentally, you have two options. You can either assume that the challenge is complicated, but you have experience, you know your way around it and you have already mastered similar tasks many times. Or you assume in advance: It won't work after all. Sounds like kitchen psychology? Try it out for yourself! Positive priming works very well as mental training for athletes, musicians and actors. And if a positive effect occurs, a negative effect is of course also possible.
Different forms of priming
Semantic priming uses certain words or word fields. This activates associations that have an influence on behavior or opinions. These priming effects are particularly common in advertising, explicitly in election advertising.
In response priming, the stimuli are barely perceived and reactions must be very quick. This form is best explained by a sequence of questions that have a suggestive effect. Questions that all have the same answer lead to a deliberately incorrect result.
Media priming is currently on the rise. A typical example is the filter bubble in which most media users operate. Constantly repeated messages create the impression of being true - even if it is actually fake news and deliberately false information.
Affective priming is aimed directly at feelings and the resulting actions. Music, images and smells are the preferred means.
A famous priming example in the movie "Focus" with Will Smith
In the movie "Focus" with Will Smith, the priming technique is used in a very clever way, especially in the scene where Will Smith's character, Nicky Spurgeon, makes a big bet against a rich Chinese gambler.
Example in the movie:
Nicky and his team have been priming the target, Liyuan Tse, unnoticed all day. Everywhere Tse looks, he is shown the number 55 and the football player with the number 55, be it on the jerseys of fans, on buildings or through songs that are played. This constant, subtle influence anchors the number 55 deep in Tse's subconscious.
Later, when Tse and Nicky make a bet about what number a random football player on the field will have chosen, Tse instinctively chooses the number 55 because it has been anchored in his consciousness all day. Tse believes that he has chosen the number based on his own intuition or intuition, but in reality he has been manipulated by the priming technique of Nicky and his team.
This scene shows in an entertaining way how powerful priming can be when used skillfully to influence the behavior and decisions of other people.
Priming effects in practice
As with any psychological trick, it all depends on the dosage. If you want to use priming in advertising and marketing, don't take a heavy-handed approach. Let's assume you are writing an advertising email. Yes, it should contain trigger words. You want your potential customers to buy. But don't overwhelm them with words such as "cheap, inexpensive, unique, only a few left, last chance". Instead, rely on subtle stimuli, on the efficient combination of a good feeling and a real benefit. A gentle, unobtrusive approach is often more effective than an exaggerated strategy!