Priming (psychology) facts for kids
Priming is a cool trick your brain does! It's when seeing or hearing one thing makes it easier to think of or react to something else later, even if you don't realize it. It's like your brain gets a little head start. This is part of your implicit memory, which means you remember things without trying.
For example, imagine you hear the word "DOCTOR." Your brain then gets ready for words related to doctors. So, if you then hear "NURSE," you'll recognize it super fast! But if you hear "BREAD" after "DOCTOR," it won't be as quick because "BREAD" isn't related. Scientists figured this out in the early 1970s. They found that ideas in your brain are connected, and when one idea is activated, it spreads to related ones.
Priming can happen in different ways:
- Perceptual priming: This is about how things look or sound. If you see the word table, and then someone asks you to complete a word starting with tab, you're more likely to say table.
- Semantic priming: This is about the meaning of words. Like the "DOCTOR" and "NURSE" example, where the words have related meanings.
- Conceptual priming: This is about ideas or concepts. If you see a picture of a cat, you might then be faster at recognizing other cat-related things.
Priming effects are different from just remembering something on purpose. Your brain can be primed even if you don't consciously remember seeing the first thing. For instance, you might complete a word puzzle with words you saw earlier, even if you've forgotten you saw them!
Priming usually works best when the two things are in the same modality. This means if you see something (visual priming), it works best with other visual clues. If you hear something (verbal priming), it works best with other verbal clues. But it can also happen between different senses or with words that are just related in meaning, like "doctor" and "nurse."
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In Spanish: Primado (psicología) para niños
