Priming effect

Overview

The priming effect (when something you just saw quietly steers what you do next) is the way an earlier stimulus (the prime) unconsciously influences later mental processing. In a 1996 experiment by psychologist John Bargh and his colleagues, participants who read words related to old age were reported to walk down the hallway more slowly after the experiment. However, later replication attempts failed to reproduce this experiment, and how robust behavioral priming is remains debated. On the other hand, the basic idea that information you have just seen influences your associations and judgments is said to have been confirmed again and again in more basic experiments.

Priming in question boxes

The Q&As you see first when you open a question box are thought to influence what you do next. After reading a question and answer about love, some people want to send a love-related question themselves.

Priming works on the person answering too. Right after answering a heavy question, you tend to answer the next light question in a serious tone as well. On the other hand, after answering a fun question, the next answer tends to have a bright tone too. The order of answers also plays a part in the mood of the answers.

Putting priming on your side

If you know about this effect, you can use it on purpose. One way to use it is to plan the order in which you answer questions in your question box, so that a cheerful answer is the first thing people see.

If you're the one sending a question, matching your theme to the other person's latest answers after reading them can make it more likely that they'll answer. If they've been talking about music, send a question about music. Going with the flow of priming leads to natural conversation.