What's a Priming Effect?

What's a Priming Effect?

Priming is a phenomenon whereby exposure to one stimulus influences a response to a subsequent stimulus, without conscious guidance or intention. For example, the word NURSE is recognized more quickly following the word DOCTOR than following the word BREAD.

What is an example of the priming effect?

Priming occurs whenever exposure to one thing can later alter behavior or thoughts. For example, if a child sees a bag of candy next to a red bench, they might begin looking for or thinking about candy the next time they see a bench.

What is the priming effect in psychology?

In psychology, priming is a technique in which the introduction of one stimulus influences how people respond to a subsequent stimulus. Priming works by activating an association or representation in memory just before another stimulus or task is introduced.

James H. Sterling
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James H. Sterling

James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.