Priming effect across framing, culture, and gender: Evidence from the academia

Abstract

AbstractThis study primarily aims to test how priming manipulation affects students' decisions in academia. Unlike many laboratory experiments testing priming, this experimental design mimics a real‐life scenario where students are unconsciously exposed to priming during class. We focus on three different framings of priming: visual, audio, and a combination of both and test their influence on the students' choices. We find strong evidence for priming in all three groups. This paper is a pioneer in addressing cultural differences between American and Chinese students with respect to priming and among the few to address gender differences in priming. Our results imply that gender plays a vital role in the priming effect, depending on the framing: females are more susceptible to visual priming than males, and while priming works across different cultures, culture may play a role in its effect. Regardless, we find that priming manipulation can be used to change short‐run behaviors in a learning environment.