What is priming?
An online speaker’s perception can be influenced by many factors. One of them is priming, which in psychology is a phenomenon consisting in activating the cognitive scheme through frequent exposure to a specific stimulus (Dillman Carpentier, 2020). As a result, the activated structure facilitates recalling and associating words or concepts related to it (Tulving and Schacter, 1990). The phenomenon of priming can be used as a technique of social influence.
The sequence of images
One way to use priming is to manage the sequence of images that appear. Kosonogov (2020), in a study conducted on a group of students, showed that neutral photos can be perceived more positively if unpleasant images were previously presented, while if respondents first saw a pleasant photo, the neutral one seemed less pleasant. The stimuli can trigger stereotypes. Viewing male or female faces results in a faster response in assigning names to a given gender than in the absence of any stimulus (Macrae & Cloutier, 2009).
Priming in public speaking
Priming can also be used to create a desired mood, which can affect how we remember, think, make judgements and draw conclusions, as well as how we behave towards others (Forgas, 2017). So when a speaker puts the audience in a good mood, for example through the background, it can influence how they are perceived. A positive mood signals to the audience that they are safe and can rely on what they already know, while a negative mood acts as an alarm signal, making them more likely to question the information and look for other sources (Bless and Fiedler, 2006).
A cognitive schema can also be activated by the environment. Situational norms are associations between an environment and the behaviour expected in it, and the environment can automatically guide that behaviour. Both the behaviour itself and its mental representation are activated automatically when there is a strong link between the environment and the norm, and when a person intends to visit that environment (Aarts and Dijksterhuis, 2003). This was illustrated in a study in which participants were shown a photo of either a library or a railway station for thirty seconds and then completed a lexical decision task while their reaction times were measured. Seeing the library made behaviour related to the norm of being quiet more accessible, but only when participants actually expected to visit a library (Aarts and Dijksterhuis, 2003).
The Florida effect
An interesting experiment by Bargh and colleagues (1996) illustrates the principle of priming. Two groups of participants were asked to make sentences out of different words. The first group received words associated with older people, such as old age, bingo, wrinkles and retirement. The second group made sentences from neutral words. The researchers then measured how long it took each group to walk from the study room to the lab. As you might guess, the first group walked noticeably slower than the second. What does this mean in practice? An activated cognitive schema may influence not only purchasing decisions and mood, but also behaviour. The experiment became known as the “Florida effect”.
However, it’s worth knowing that later attempts to replicate this experiment (e.g. Doyen et al., 2012) did not produce similar results. Research on behavioural priming is still widely debated, so its effect on behaviour is best seen as an interesting hypothesis rather than a proven mechanism.
Summary
By means of a sequence of photos, building the right mood or manipulating the environment, you can influence the way of thinking, formulating judgments and conclusions, and interpersonal behavior. Priming, therefore, can be used in the selection of backgrounds that will have the intended effect on the audience.
Let’s stay in touch. Contact me to get more information about the program, working methods, and pricing.
Bibliography:
- Aarts, H. i Dijksterhuis, A. (2003). The Silence of the Library: Environment, Situational Norm, and Social Behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003, 84(1), s. 18–28.
- Bless, H. i Fiedler, K. (2006). Mood and the regulation of information processing and behavior. W: J.P. Forgas (red.), Hearts and Minds: Affective Influences on Social Cognition and Behaviour. Psychology Press.
- Dillman Carpentier, F.R. (2020). International Encyclopedia of Media Psychology. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
- Forgas, J.P. (2017). Mood Effects on Cognition: Affective Influences on the Content and Process of Information Processing and Behavior. Emotions and Affect in Human Factors and Human–Computer Interaction. Academic Press.
- Kosonogov, V. (2020). The effects of the order of picture presentation on the subjective emotional evaluation of pictures. Revista PSICOLOGIA, 34(2), s. 171-178.
- Macrae, C.N., Cloutier, J. (2009). A Matter of Design: Priming Context and Person Perception. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45(4), s. 1012.
- Tulving, E. i Schacter, D.L. (1990). Priming and human memory systems. Science, 247(4940), s. 301-306.
Author:
Hi, I’m Magda Kern. I’m a psychologist, the top 11 public speaking coach worldwide, a lecturer, working for companies from the Fortune 500 list, a business trainer with 12 years of experience, a TEDx coach, and an ex-vocalist based in Switzerland. I help people prepare and deliver unforgettable presentations and deal with stress.