An extension of Agenda Setting theory. It explains the media Images mold the mind of audience and helps n Decision Making Process.

1. MEDIA PRIMING
Shanto Lyengar, Mark Peters & Donald Kinder (1982)

2. INTRODUCTION
Media effects refer to how mass media affects its
audience in decision making.
Priming is considered as the extension of Agenda
setting.
Priming has its base in cognitive psychology which
relates to Associative network model of human
memory.

3. ASSOCIATIVE NETWORK MODEL
OF HUMAN MEMORY
An idea or concept is stored as a node in the network
and is related to other ideas or concepts by semantic
paths.
Priming refers to the activation of a node in this
network, which may serve as a filter, an interpretive
frame, or a premise for further information processing
or judgment formation.

4. THEORETICAL FORMULATION
When people witness, read or hear of an event via the mass
media, ideas having a similar meaning are activate in them for a
short time afterwards, and that these thoughts in turn can
active other semantically related ideas and action tendencies.

5. DEFINITION
The priming theory states that “Media images
stimulate related thoughts in the minds of audience
members.”
Priming is an important concept in media effects. As
agenda setting brings out only the importance of the
issue, Priming offers explanation on how the
information from the media are stored in the human
mind and how it influences in making decisions.

6. CONTINUE….
Priming enables the audience to evaluate the situation and to
conclude how effective the media have been in order to make a
decision by providing a frame of reference.
Priming provides basic perception and relative comparison,
which makes judgment easier and quicker. The preconceptions
are used for as frame of reference for decision making.

7. ORIGIN
In Iyengar, Peters, and Kinder's 1982 study of priming,
they set out to determine what effect intentional
priming might have on the public's evaluation of
president Jimmy Carter.
Their hypothesis stated that
“Making certain political topics salient through prime
time media, such as defense or spending, would cause
viewers to evaluate president Carter based on said
topics.”

8. PRIMING & POLITICS
Priming has been particularly evaluated during the
elections and while choosing the right candidate.
Particularly when it comes to politics where people
lack the knowledge concerning political matters, they
base their decisions on the information from the
media which actually influences their decision making
on whom to elect.

9. EXAMPLES OF PRIMING THEORY
Children tend to mimic what they see on television, which is
how the process of priming takes place.
Jacobs and Shapiro analyzed Kennedy presidential campaign in
1960 extensively. The study found that people based their
voting opinions on their views of Kennedy formed through
media before the election with the help of public opinion
surveys. The campaign managers used media as a tool to
influence people.

10. EXAMPLES OF PRIMING THEORY
Such studies were conducted during the presidency election during
the time of Carter as well as Bush. Not only in U.S., but the theory has
been tested in other countries like Israel, Germany and Denmark too.
Big events like Olympics and World Cup are reported so much that
people find it difficult to ignore such events. But media doesn’t
provide people with all the information to make a good judgment.

11. ASSUMPTION OF THE THEORY
Media has very strong effect on its viewers.
People do not have elaborate knowledge about
political matters and do not take into account all of
what they do know when making political decisions.
They must consider what more readily comes to mind.

12. TYPES OF PRIMING
Violence Priming
People who watch television programs with more violence, are
more violent.
Political Priming
Media can influence public opinion on many important issues
and change evaluation criteria.
Stereotype Priming
Media can prime gender, race, religion and ethnicity stereotype
which can influence perception and political judgments
accordingly.

13. CHARACTERISTICS OF PRIMING
Recent prime creates greater effect. More frequent or longer
prime causes more effect.
Prime decreases with time, starting from 15 to 20 minutes.

14. CRITICISMS OF PRIMING THEORY
Government or powerful people can bend information to their
favor by priming.
It can be used to establish false or distorted reality.
People are influenced unknowingly.
Priming can even affect the voting patterns of people in
elections or establish opinions on any issue.
Priming degrades with time.