Abstract
The priming theory examines the way the media can enhance a mass audiences’ judgments upon an issue by the accessibility to the memories they may have of this issue. Strong history, research, and campaign examples emphasize the strength the priming theory has in the communications industry and more specifically how it can benefit a public relation professional. Stemming from the agenda-setting theory and cognitive scientific research, the priming theory developed in the early 1980s and has been proven to be used many times since then. Memory, media, and accessibility to these two are the core factors to using the priming theory.
Introduction
Many psychological theories can have more of an effect on the way individuals perceive things than one way realize. The priming theory is the focus of this research and how much it actually affects people especially in communications and PR campaigns specifically. The priming theory suggests that our mind is influenced by media in which we may have a related experience or correlation to. This has a larger effect in public relations than some may realize due to the audience’s memory and how this theory plays a role in affecting what one may have already preconceived as good or bad. This theory can play a huge role in major topics including politics, celebrities, and even brand perception. Throughout this paper, the priming theory will be discussed and evaluated throughout the history of the theory, application, and effects of the theory in public relations.
Description of the Theory
The priming theory which is considered to be a direct product from the agenda-setting theory was determined by the way the media can have a direct effect on an individuals’ decision-making due to predetermined thoughts or memories they may have. This theory stems from 1982 where it was identified by Iyengar, Peters, and Kinder to be another added area of agenda-setting that deserved its own recognition (Businesstopia, 2018). The history of this theory dates back to many memorable political events that may have been acknowledged as the agenda-setting theory but then later to be determined as priming. With much resource politics seems to be a major focus and characteristic of the priming theory.
Before diving into the political details of the priming theory’s recognition, it is important to identify it in relation to the agenda-setting theory that is mentioned so frequently when referring to the priming theory. The agenda-setting theory overall refers to a strong correlation between mass media on specific issues and topics and the importance given to these issues by their mass audiences (Scheufele and Tewksbury, 2007). Later on, Iyengar and Kinder determined the priming theory to be a stem from the agenda-setting theory but with the notable difference of the audience’s memory to play a role in the persuasion the media puts out. As referred to in politics these two theories can be seen to go hand in hand with one another as agenda-setting could bring an issue to become more relevant in people’s minds and then priming allows the media to then shape these political judgments about an issue or candidate. These two theories are very relevant to one another and some even consider the priming theory as an enhancement to the agenda-setting theory in which it now not only expresses the medias ability to tell an audience what they should think about, but also what to think about a specific issue (Weaver, 2007).
Politics became the strong focus behind the development of these theories during the infamous Watergate scandal in the 1970s during President Nixon’s time in office. When burglars broke into the Watergate complex, the media did its job to create the idea that President Nixon was involved in this scandal and emphasized that he was a corrupted president. Agenda-setting theory initially was the main focus of why the mass audience took strong belief into the conspiracies of Watergate, but research during this time is when the priming theory was evolved as preconceptions of the president in the audiences’ mind allowed the media to therefore enhance an opinion of the audience (Weaver, 2007). This was the first time the priming theory was recognized.
The idea of concepts and issues being primed into someone’s mind is also another major factor when referring to the history of the priming theory. The psychology aspect behind the theory emphasizes the cognitive effects this has on one’s mind which allows the priming theory to ultimately work throughout mass media. Any experiences or gaining of information that one receives enters their brain and resides there which can be described as “memory tracers” which are then followed by the concept of “activation tags” in which the priming theory begins to occur. (Tulving & Watkins, 1975). This complex concept of how the brain activates the priming theory was concluded to be overall described as “accessibility”. Accessibility overall explains how our brain processes information from memory-based models and later perceives judgments about issues and people based on the information that is accessible to the brain at the time it is discussed (Scheufele, 2000). This cognitive belief behind the theory accurately explains the priming theory’s objectives as it is the way the media can persuade judgment on a mass audience due to their memories or accessibility to the issue or objective at stake.
Once again, it is important to acknowledge the agenda-setting theory when discovering the history and discovery of applying the priming theory, but it is also very important to understand they are and cannot be considered the same theory. After the cognitive analysis followed by the political history of the media’s effects on mass audiences, agenda-setting is emphasized to focus on the level of importance and accessibility an issue is in the media, while priming is focused on how the audience then evaluates these issues and bases their judgments due to their accessibility to their memories (Scheufele, 2000).
Application in Public Relations
The application of all theories and the knowledge behind each of them is extremely significant and beneficial for those working in the communications industry, especially public relations. A key role in the public relations industry is for the professional to understand how and why people communicate and most importantly the way the audience is receptive to any type of communication. To do so, in this case, it is essential to understand the priming theory for numerous reasons.
When it comes to public relations, no matter what industry one may be working in, the image of their client always is the main focus. The priming theory discusses a lot on the way the audience’s memory comes into play when a mass audience decides to form a judgment. Having a clear understanding of the way the audience may initially receive the impression of a public relations professional’s client is extremely beneficial for them to further do their job in the media side of things. Mass media coverage and whatever public relations professionals choose to be accessible to an audience is the entire point of the priming theory. Accessibility of the brain’s memory and accessibility of what media they are viewing are the key components when applying the priming theory (Scheufele, 2000).
As mentioned above, politics was a focus in the historical and consistent research aspect of priming theory but when it comes to politics in public relations, this theory once again becomes very relevant. For example, in the most recent election, social media played a major part in the media coverage that was accessible to a mass audience. It is even known and proven that the algorithm of the internet only shows audiences which side of the election they may be more favorable to. A democrat most likely sees only negative opinions and stories about the republican party and vice versa. This is where priming becomes applicable to a public relations professional as they have to understand for their candidate, the preconceived memories the mass audience has on each candidate in the election. With this research and knowledge, they can apply the priming theory in order to produce media coverage that will allow those memories to become more accessible to them and therefore have a positive image placed upon their candidate in a strategic way with the priming theory being used.
Personally, I have a large interest in many aspects of the public relations world, but I do like to focus a lot of my research on fashion, trends, and overall entertainment. The priming theory can be seen to be applied in all of these industries in public relations. For example, TikTok is the latest social media craze and has a mass audience that has accessibility to the application and most likely does not forget what they view as almost everything that becomes popular becomes a worldwide trend. The priming theory was seen to be applied in the most recent “driver’s license” drama on TikTok as a song was released and speculation arose about who it may have been about as the lyrics were very specific. Once this idea of another celebrity being the focus of the song, and people realizing he has a new lover, their minds continue to form with speculation. Disney, which is the company that brought fame to all of these celebrities, took this as a chance to apply the priming theory, and the media that continued to follow to promote the song enhanced a mass audience to form their judgment.
Conclusion
The priming theory is seen and used daily all around us, whether it is acknowledged or not. As an audience collects their memories, any media that is later produced can open up those memories. When one already has an idea on an issue, it allows the media’s job to become easier to persuade them to form specific opinions about that issue. Priming is seen in all types of job industries but especially in the communications world when a public relations professional continuously wants to promote a specific image. With a strong correlation to agenda-setting theory and emphasis on accessibility in the mind and media, the priming theory can benefit a public relation professional greatly if understood correctly.
References
businesstopia, “Priming Theory,” in Businesstopia, February 4, 2018, https://www.businesstopia.net/mass-communication/priming-theory.
Scheufele, D. A., & Tewkbury, D. (2007) . Framing, Agenda Setting, and Priming: The Evolution of Three Media Effects Models. Journal of Communication, 57, 9-20. DOI:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2006.00326.x
Scheufele, D.A. (2000). Agenda-Setting, Priming, and Framing Revisited: Another Look at Cognitive Effects of Political Communication. Mass Communication & Society, 3, 297- 316.
Tulving, E., & Watkins, M. J. (1975). Structure of memory traces. Psychological Review, 82(4), 261–275. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0076782
Weaver, D. H. (2007) . Thoughts on Agenda Setting, Framing and Priming. Journal of Communication, 57, 142-147. DOI:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2006.00333.x