The Relation Between Perception and Behavior, or How to Win a Game of Trivial Pursuit

Overview

Dijksterhuis & van Knippenberg (1998) investigated the relationship between perception and behavior, particularly focusing on the impact of priming on cognitive processes and subsequent behavior. The study aimed to demonstrate how subtle cues in the environment can influence behavior without conscious awareness, similar to Bargh, Chen, & Burrows' (1996) work on automaticity.

The researchers conducted a series of experiments to examine how priming participants with concepts related to intelligence affected their performance in a trivia game. In one experiment, participants were primed with words related to intelligence (e.g., "professor," "brain") or words unrelated to intelligence before playing a trivia game. They found that participants primed with intelligence-related words performed better in the trivia game compared to those primed with unrelated words.

Additionally, the researchers investigated the role of conscious awareness in the priming effect. They found that participants who were not consciously aware of the priming manipulation still exhibited improved performance in the trivia game, suggesting that the effect occurred automatically.

Impact

1. Contributions to Understanding Perception and Behavior:

   • Dijksterhuis & van Knippenberg's study provided further evidence for the automatic nature of cognitive processes and behavior. It demonstrated that subtle cues in the environment can influence behavior without individuals being consciously aware of the influence.

   • The study highlighted the bidirectional relationship between perception and behavior, showing that priming individuals with specific concepts can affect their subsequent behavior related to those concepts.

2. Expanding Knowledge on Automaticity:

   • Building upon Bargh, Chen, & Burrows' (1996) work, Dijksterhuis & van Knippenberg (1998) contributed to our understanding of automatic processes in social behavior. They demonstrated how automatic processes can shape cognitive processes and behavior, even in complex tasks such as trivia games.

   • The study underscored the importance of considering unconscious influences on behavior, expanding the scope of research on automaticity beyond simple behaviors to more cognitive tasks.

3. Practical Implications:

   • The findings of the study have practical implications in various domains, including education, marketing, and decision-making. Educators may use priming techniques to enhance students' performance in academic tasks by priming them with concepts related to success or intelligence.

   • Marketers can leverage priming effects to influence consumer behavior and decision-making. For example, subtle cues related to luxury or quality can prime consumers to make higher-value purchases.

4. Continued Research:

   • Dijksterhuis & van Knippenberg's study stimulated further research into the mechanisms underlying priming effects and their impact on behavior. Subsequent studies have explored the boundary conditions of priming effects, investigating factors such as individual differences, situational contexts, and the duration of priming effects.

   • Advances in neuroscience have allowed researchers to examine the neural correlates of priming effects, shedding light on the brain mechanisms underlying the influence of priming on cognition and behavior.

Overall, Dijksterhuis & van Knippenberg (1998) made significant contributions to our understanding of the relationship between perception and behavior, demonstrating the automaticity of cognitive processes and the bidirectional influence between perception and behavior. Their study has had lasting impacts on research in psychology and practical applications in various domains.