Media Priming Theory
Overview
Media Priming theory is derived from the cognitive neo-associationistic approach. It suggests that when we see certain images and messages in media our brains automatically think of related thoughts. Priming theory has been known to be integrated with the social learning theory to describe how previously learned behaviors may be triggered by thoughts, emotions, or physiological states provoked by media exposure. This theory has been studied and revised for decades and according to Francesca Carpentier academic journal on priming it can be traced back into the late ’60s originating from M. Ross Quillian who worked on the world's first computer software company where he and other employees worked to find a representation of the relationship of concepts using principles of logic. This paved to way for other researchers such as Allan M. Collins, Elizabeth Loftus, and many more. These researches laid the groundwork for many studies that are still researched to this day.
Components of Priming
There are two principles to the theory of priming. The first being when constructing judgments people retrieve only a subset of information and the second principle being information that comes most accessible is the most likely to be retained. This is important to understand because many times the information that is most convenient to us is not the most reliable or creditable. Continuing on with the priming theory, it was found that schemata are a cognitive framework we use unconsciously to interpret patterns of thought or behavior and organize categories of information and the relationships among them. A great example was brought to my attention from my professor that when we think of a prototypical interpretation of birds we associate feathers, wings, and flight with them because that is what we see most often and are most accessible to us but these characteristics is not a correct representation to all birds (penguins, ostrich, etc.).
Priming in Media
A portion of the research done on the priming theory, that has considerably interested me, has been focused on how advertisements might influence impulse purchases. Marketing and Advertising specialist have included cognitive research into their marketing strategies for an extensive time now. Priming in advertising is commonly coined as the invisible tool because we make these connections to the material we see subconsciously. Many commercials we see use nostalgia to promote their products. For example, Budweiser, the largest beer company in the world, has used nostalgia as a priming mechanism and emotional appeal to get people to correlate their drink with good times in the past. Many times they will add a classic song from the past into their commercial so right off the bat you think of good times and their product. An example of how this can backfire on marketing and advertising specialist that I found in weareneon.com is a commercial that was aired a couple of years back by KFC. A mistake they made, which loss them money, is they had shown a live chicken in the commercial. Now even though the commercial was focused around how well they treat their animals it created a subconscious emotion and feeling in the viewer's minds that was unsettling. As Americans, we have become so accustomed to eating fast food we don't think twice where it comes from or that what we're eating was a live animal at once but once you show that connection in a commercial it brings up that thought in much of the minds of the audience. KFC’s advert suffers from the fact that it breaks one of the unwritten rules and breaks away from the normal schema associated with food advertising. These two examples are how priming can go very well or horribly wrong for businesses.
References
Francesca R. Dillman Carpentier (2014) Agenda Setting and Priming Effects Based on Information Presentation: Revisiting Accessibility as a Mechanism Explaining Agenda Setting and Priming, Mass Communication and Society, 17:4, 531–552, DOI: 10.1080/15205436.2013.816744
