Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
possibilities. The better those engines work, the more effectively we
can feed our reasoning process. Selective searching is organized by
using filters, and stereotyping is one of the supporting tools in this pro-
cess. What is interesting is that basic stereotypes have an effect that
lasts longer than the task for which they are required or activated. In
fact, subsequent tasks will also be influenced by strong stereotypes
used in previous tasks. In addition, stereotypes not only play a role in
gathering information, they also influence what we do with the infor-
mation. Stereotypes have an impact on quality and quantity of behav-
ior. It is possible to use the concept of safety or a safe way of working
as a stereotype for priming.
Priming is a form of influencing behavior by exposing the brain to stimuli
that are strongly connected to a stereotype.
In the last few years, many forms of priming have been developed.
Priming can be done by adding objects but also by triggering people
via small tasks or activities. A picture of Einstein in a waiting room
results in higher scores on a subsequent IQ test, and money makes us
more task driven but also less social. Priming works intuitively as long
as people can identify with the primed model. There is also evidence
that priming can have a counterintuitive effect as soon as there is a felt
distinction with the model (Aarts & Dijksterhuis, 2002). The experi-
ment with Einstein in the waiting room led to poorer performance on
an IQ test if university professors did this test. The picture of Einstein
made them feel stupid, so they scored lower. When people were primed
with really fast animals, they all walked more slowly because they felt
their own slowness while watching those fast animals.
Priming operates on the nonconscious level, but some attention is
needed during the priming phase (Naccache, Blandin, & Dehaene,
2002). People usually don
'
t know that they are manipulated, and they
also don
t realize that they start to act in a specific way related to the
stereotype. But even if people do know, the effect remains the same.
You can even manipulate yourself and it will still work.
'
The word
priming
stems from painting and refers to the creation of
a first layer of paint that has an influence on the attachment, the color,
and the structure of the next layers. Priming as a psychological princi-
ple expresses that the first behavior (of a day or a session), and the
