What Is Priming Psychology And What Is It Used For?

Priming psychology refers to the study of how exposure to a stimulus influences the response to a subsequent 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, and 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 that is in person or online. 

One of the most common ways to study priming memory is to measure the reaction time differences in response to primed versus unprimed stimuli. 

What does it mean to be “primed” in psychology?

Priming is thought to be one of the unconscious ways our memories work when we're identifying the words, objects, or tasks in a given situation. Priming generally refers to activating a specific part of the brain so that a person is more likely to recognize something in front of them. For example, 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. If you need a strong study tool or a new therapy technique, you may want to learn more about what priming is and what it is used for.

What is a priming technique?

Priming is a technique that can be used in cognitive and social psychology to 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. Priming can improve cognitive and behavioral response times as well as decrease anxiety, stress, and depression. 

Priming psychology: Common types

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

Repetition priming

When our brains experience a specific stimulus and response, the same response may be processed more quickly each subsequent time it is observed. In other words, repetition can sometimes help us think faster.

Positive and negative priming psychology

Positive priming can speed up the reaction time between the stimulus and the response, whereas negative priming can slow it down. Repetition generally 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 may 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 in general 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

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 terms.

More types of priming effects

As mentioned earlier, you might see priming in many areas of life, including in brain games. 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 priming.

Semantic priming effects

Semantic priming is frequently used when items or words are associated logically or linguistically.

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.

Kindness priming effects

An act of kindness can produce happiness, and that positive emotion may lead others to see the positive around them. 

Priming for psychological research

Psychologists often use priming to study memory and the brain. Topics might relate to how the brain stores, retrieves and perceives information. As such, priming has contributed to new findings in research about Alzheimer's disease, including how the disease affects the brain.

Primed approach in advertising and politics

Advertisers often employ cognitive and social psychology to get us to buy products or services, and priming is one of the ways they do so. Association and repetition priming often play a major role in how advertisers construct their campaigns. A few well-placed associations, the right colors, and some repetition may sell just about anything. That may be why priming is frequently used in print, audio, or video media. You may even see priming in politics as a politician tries to gain your vote.

Stress and depression

Positive priming can 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. If you've been to therapy before, you may have experienced priming. However, you may not have noticed because it is usually unconscious.

Other ways priming can yield mental health benefits

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

Addiction sometimes requires treatment from healthcare or mental health professionals, and priming might be used to ease the process. Priming can sometimes replace negative emotions and thoughts with positive ones, potentially empowering individuals to make positive changes in their lives. This approach may be particularly helpful for people who are recovering from a substance use disorder. In addition, negative priming might be used to create an aversion to an addictive substance or behavior.

Memory training

Use psychological priming with online therapy

As mentioned previously, priming frequently happens unconsciously in our daily lives. However, it can be possible to consciously use this cognitive tool to shape positive behaviors or let go of negative ones. A licensed therapist may be able to help you determine how priming and other cognitive tools can help you reach your goals. If you’re not interested in visiting a therapist’s office, you might consider online therapy, which numerous studies have shown to be effective. 

With BetterHelp, you can connect with a licensed therapist through 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.