{"id":15742,"date":"2020-10-04T23:10:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-05T03:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=15742"},"modified":"2020-10-11T17:15:53","modified_gmt":"2020-10-11T21:15:53","slug":"what-is-priming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-is-priming\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Priming? Make People Choose What You Want"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is priming<\/a> and what is the priming effect<\/a>? How does priming affect decisions?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Priming is influencing a person to make a certain choice before they have to make it. By making statements or asking questions, you “prime” the person for the result you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what is priming? Read on to find out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What Is Priming?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So what is priming? A social-influence nudge need not take the form of a comparison to one\u2019s peers\u2014it can be as simple and inconspicuous as just asking a question!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choice architects have discovered that humans can be \u201cprimed\u201d to make certain choices. Simply by mentioning a particular choice, or asking people if they intend to perform a certain action, choice architects can nudge people<\/a> to make that choice or perform that action<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In one study, a nationally representative sample of Americans was asked, \u201cDo you plan on buying a car in the next six months?\u201d What is priming in this situation? The question itself raised purchase rates by 35%! Because the subjects were \u201cprimed\u201d to think about buying a car, they ended up actually going out and doing it<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Priming can be even subtler. Studies have shown that when people see objects that symbolize a business environment\u2014briefcases or boardroom tables, for example\u2014they become more competitive and less collaborative; and when they smell cleaning chemicals at their eating space, they tend to keep that space neater as they eat<\/strong>. What is priming in this situation? It is the physical qualities and the smells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is priming and how is it related to channel factors? Priming is a type of \u201cchannel factor.\u201d Channel factors are seemingly minor or inconsequential influences that have an outsize impact on individuals\u2019 decision making<\/a><\/strong>. When one of these influences is removed or altered, the \u201cchannel\u201d toward a particular decision can become more direct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mandated Choice<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

What is an example of priming in nudges? The choice architecture that aligns most closely with libertarian paternalistic principles is \u201cmandated choice\u201d\u2014in this instance, the requirement that aspiring or renewing drivers indicate whether they want to or don\u2019t want to be organ donors before receiving their license<\/strong>. What is priming doing here? Given Americans\u2019 general positive sentiment toward organ donation, this strategy of \u201cpriming\u201d individuals is likely to result in large increases in organ donors; and it preserves freedom by giving people the choice to opt in or out<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mandated choice would replace the current \u201cexplicit consent\u201d regime, which has \u201cnondonor\u201d as a default and requires people to opt in, typically by checking a box on a driver\u2019s license. Although this strategy preserves choice, it neglects to take into account Human inertia and status quo bias<\/a>, resulting in large disparities between those who say they <\/strong>want <\/em><\/strong>to be organ donors and those who actually check the box to <\/strong>become <\/em><\/strong>organ donors<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Ironically, Thaler and Sunstein don\u2019t consider the possibility<\/a> that surveys about organ donation might be tainted by \u201csocial-desirability bias\u201d\u2014that is, the tendency for subjects to give the socially acceptable answer to a question, even when it\u2019s not what they truly believe. For example, people know they should <\/em>be organ donors, but, when it comes down to actually committing, they might prefer not to.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mandated choice is also superior, in terms of libertarian paternalism<\/a>, to two other possibilities: \u201croutine removal\u201d and \u201cpresumed consent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Routine removal is just what it sounds like: The removal of direly needed organs from the deceased or brain dead without consent from either the individual or the individual\u2019s family. In one sense, this is a beneficial default\u2014Georgia, for example, routinely removes corneas from the deceased, resulting in vastly increased numbers of cornea transplant recipients\u2014but, because it limits choice, it cannot be the strategy of libertarian paternalism<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Presumed consent, meanwhile, also works by changing the default: by making everyone a donor and requiring people to opt out. This option preserves choice, rendering it satisfactory under libertarian paternalism; and studies have shown that it drastically increases the number of organ donors. (Unsurprisingly, given Human inertia.) But presumed consent is difficult to enact politically: Individuals and their families are protective of their bodies, and many would object to organ donation being their \u201cdefault.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is priming and what is the priming effect? How does priming affect decisions? Priming is influencing a person to make a certain choice before they have to make it. By making statements or asking questions, you “prime” the person for the result you want. So, what is priming? Read on to find out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":15976,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,9],"tags":[132],"class_list":["post-15742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication","category-psychology","tag-nudge","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Is Priming? Make People Choose What You Want - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What is priming? People are prepared to make a certain choice by the way a question is asked. 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