Understanding Priming: Psychology, Applications, And More

Priming psychology refers to the study of how exposure to a stimulus influences the response to a subsequent (or “target”) stimulus, often without conscious awareness. Priming is a cognitive function that can have a significant impact on memory in several areas of life.

For instance, if you’re shown the color red and then shown a photo of different colored flowers, you may be more likely to notice the red flowers first. There can be many types of priming that occur in everyday life, such as repetition priming, semantic priming, and associative priming. Priming is used not only in psychology but also in:

• Research
• Advertising
• Politics
• Meditation
• Various mental health-related applications

You may find that it is possible to use priming to your advantage by working with a licensed therapist, whether in person or online.

What is priming in psychology?

The concept of “priming” in psychology is linked to implicit memory: a type of unconscious processing that lets us perform tasks without thinking about them, such as driving a car or remembering to close the garage. This process appears to be governed by a brain system separate from explicit memory (which involves memories that must be consciously recalled).

Priming generally refers to the selective activation of a specific part of the brain so that a person is more likely to recognize something in front of them. Consider an example of how this can affect visual awareness: You might prime someone to notice blueberries in a fruit basket by first showing them the color blue.

When a word, an image, a sound, or another stimulus influences or elicits an associated response, priming may be what is happening. 

The priming technique can be used in cognitive and social psychology to study and condition responses through exposure to specific stimuli. Priming typically works with our unconscious responses to change our thought patterns and reactions by tapping into the way our brains process, store, and recall information. Consistent priming may:

• Improve cognitive and behavioral response times
• Speed up memory retrieval
• Potentially decrease symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression 

Priming studies frequently feature in the field of experimental psychology. In studies focused on priming, participants are typically given a specific stimulus, or “prime,” followed by a separate, subsequent task. For instance, in a priming task, a participant might be shown a series of primed words. They might then be asked to perform a word stem completion task, in which they fill in the remainder of a word based on the first few letters. 

Types of priming

Before learning about the possible uses of priming, it may help to explore the many types of priming that often occur in everyday life.

Repetition priming

“Repetition priming” is a type of priming that is sometimes referred to as “direct priming.” When our brains experience a specific stimulus and response, the same response may be processed more quickly each subsequent time the same stimulus is observed. In other words, repetition can sometimes help us think faster.

Positive and negative priming

Positive priming can speed up the reaction time between the stimulus and the response. In contrast, negative priming describes how ignoring a specific stimulus can actually slow down the subsequent response to the same or a related stimulus. (This is sometimes referred to as “impaired priming.”) Generally speaking, repetition increases positive priming, while ignoring the stimulus may provide negative priming. 

Perceptual priming

This type of priming usually relies on forms, such as the format of a stimulus. For example, people might choose an item that is similar in size and shape to a stimulus they were recently exposed to.

Conceptual priming

This type of priming is generally based on categories, the meaning of the stimulus, and semantic tasks that may reinforce the priming. For example, you might be primed to think of fruit when you see a blueberry. Psychologists can use this tool to look at how the concept of the stimulus is related to the individual being primed.

Associative psychological priming

Associative priming refers to how we can often speed up response time or processing time by using a related word or act. This may be because the brain is faster at responding to a stimulus when it associates similar concepts or semantically related words.

Context priming

Context priming allows us to remember information more efficiently when we have contextual clues. Sentence context is one example: The structure, words, and grammar of a sentence may help you anticipate subsequent words and speed up your processing. Similarly, if someone with reduced hearing ability understands the context of a conversation ahead of time, they may be more likely to correctly guess the words they aren’t able to hear clearly.  

What priming affects

As mentioned earlier, you might see priming in many areas of life, including in brain games, where priming may boost your memory retrieval. You might also notice priming effects when you walk down the street, turn on the television, or talk to your therapist. Below are some more examples of how priming affects thinking, perception, and daily life. 

Semantic priming effects

Semantic priming is frequently used when items or words fall into the same semantic category—in other words, when they are associated logically or linguistically. This can boost your semantic memory by making it easier to remember words related to that category. For instance, if you hear verbal cues like “water” or “ocean,” you may be able to remember the word “rain” more quickly than if you were given a list of unrelated words. (This phenomenon is known as “spreading activation.”)

Response priming effects

With response priming, the stimulus may be used to produce a motor effect. Stimulus speed and motor response speed usually increase together.

Emotional priming effects

Priming may also affect emotions and, potentially, even social behavior. Polite stimuli, such as an act of kindness, can produce happiness, and that positive emotion may lead others to see the positive around them. In contrast, a negative stimulus—like hearing negative words—may produce negative emotions, leading people to develop a more negative perception of their world.

Priming for psychological research

Psychologists often use priming research to study memory and the brain. Topics might relate to how the brain stores, retrieves, and perceives information. As such, priming may help researchers uncover new information about Alzheimer’s disease, brain injuries, and other conditions affecting memory and processing.

Applications of priming outside the lab

Advertisers often employ cognitive and social psychology to influence behavior and encourage us to buy products or services. Priming is one of the ways they do so. Association and repetition priming often play a major role in how advertisers construct their campaigns, using a combination of consumer research and psychological science to build positive perceptions of their products. You may also see similar tactics used in politics to gain your vote. 

Priming and mental health conversations

Positive priming may produce beneficial feelings and responses that can reduce stress, depression, and other mental health concerns. For this reason, priming can be helpful in therapy. When a client begins to associate therapy sessions with stress relief, their symptoms and quality of life may improve, and they may be more likely to consistently attend sessions.

Priming may have additional mental health benefits when used by a professional in therapy or as a supplement to standard treatment. Some examples include:

Stimulus for positive thoughts in meditation

Priming psychology for fears and anxiety

Exposure therapy can be another therapeutic method that uses priming. In this case, an individual may be exposed to something that causes them distress. This may happen all at once or gradually over time. After the individual has become used to the stimulus that causes their fear or anxiety, they may be primed to face it again in the future. In this way, priming may reduce unwanted reactions.

A primed approach for addiction

Priming can sometimes help replace negative emotions and thoughts with positive ones, potentially empowering individuals to make positive changes in their lives by harnessing the power of their unconscious processing. This approach may be particularly helpful for people who are recovering from a substance use disorder. Priming may help to positively influence behavior by tapping into clients’ intrinsic motivation (motivation to do something for its own sake, rather than for an external reward). In addition, negative priming might be used to create an aversion to an addictive substance or behavior. 

That said, keep in mind that priming should not be considered a replacement for professional treatment. If you’re struggling with substance use, consider contacting your healthcare provider or reaching out to one of the resources on our Get Help Now page for more immediate support.

Memory training

Use psychological priming with online therapy

As mentioned previously, priming frequently happens unconsciously in our daily lives. However, with professional support, it may be possible to consciously use this cognitive tool to shape positive behaviors or let go of negative ones. A licensed mental health provider may be able to help you determine how priming and other cognitive tools can help you reach your goals and create lasting behavior change. If you’re not interested in visiting a therapist’s office, you might consider online therapy, which has been shown to be as effective as in-person therapy. 

With BetterHelp, you can connect with a licensed therapist via phone, live chat, or videoconferencing. Your therapist may be able to teach you priming techniques to use in various areas of life. If you have questions about positive or negative priming or anything else in between sessions, you can contact your therapist at any time via in-app messaging, and they’ll get back to you as soon as they can.