5.3 Priming effects in media coverage
4 min read•july 31, 2024
in media shape how we evaluate political leaders and issues. By highlighting certain topics, media influences what criteria we use to judge politicians and policies, often without us realizing it.
This concept builds on , which says media attention affects what we think is important. Priming takes it further, showing how media coverage impacts our judgments and decision-making in politics.
Media Priming and Agenda-Setting
Cognitive Processes and Media Influence
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- Priming activates cognitive processes where exposure to one stimulus influences response to subsequent stimuli, often unconsciously
- In media studies, priming shapes criteria for audience evaluation of political leaders, issues, and events
- Agenda-setting theory proposes media attention to issues influences public perception of their importance
- Priming extends agenda-setting concept to how issues are used to evaluate political actors
- suggests recently activated concepts are more likely used in subsequent judgments and decision-making
- Priming effects vary in duration
- Temporary effects from single exposures
- Cumulative effects from repeated exposures over time
- Individual differences impact priming strength (political knowledge, media literacy, personal issue relevance)
Framing and Priming Interactions
- Framing selects and emphasizes certain aspects of an issue
- Priming focuses on how frames activate and make considerations more accessible in audience evaluations
- Framing and priming work together to shape public opinion
- Frames provide context and interpretation
- Priming makes those interpretations more readily available for future judgments
- Example: Climate change framing as economic issue primes audience to evaluate policies based on economic impact
- Example: Crime news framing as racial issue primes audience to consider race in evaluations of criminal justice policies
Priming Effects on Political Evaluations
Criteria Alteration and Performance Evaluation
- Media priming alters criteria for public evaluation of political leaders, emphasizing certain traits or issues
- proposes media coverage of specific issues increases salience in public evaluations of leader competence
- Priming influences perception of leader character traits (trustworthiness, competence, empathy) based on media focus
- interacts with priming
- Media coverage activates associations between political parties and perceived issue strengths
- Example: Coverage of national security issues may prime voters to evaluate Republican candidates more favorably
- in political coverage heightens attention to leader weaknesses or policy failures, potentially damaging approval ratings
- Cross-cutting exposure to diverse media sources can moderate priming effects, leading to more balanced evaluations
Factors Influencing Priming Intensity
- Priming effect intensity and duration on public evaluations influenced by various factors
- Prominence of coverage (front-page news vs. brief mentions)
- Repetition of messages across multiple media outlets
- Emotional resonance of issues (personal impact on audience)
- Example: Intense coverage of economic downturn primes voters to prioritize economic competence in leader evaluations
- Example: Repeated coverage of foreign policy crises primes public to focus on diplomatic skills in assessing political leaders
Priming and Voter Behavior
Issue Salience and Candidate Evaluation
- Priming influences voter decision-making by increasing salience of certain issues or candidate attributes during campaigns
- Priming of specific policy issues shifts voter preferences towards candidates perceived as more competent in those areas
- Example: Extensive coverage of healthcare reform primes voters to support candidates with strong healthcare platforms
- Media priming of personal characteristics affects voters' assessments of candidates' fitness for office
- Example: Priming of leadership qualities during crisis situations may sway undecided voters
- Priming effects interact with partisan predispositions
- Can reinforce existing preferences
- In some cases, overcome partisan leanings when issues are highly salient
Strategic Priming and Electoral Dynamics
- Timing of media priming crucial in relation to elections
- Stronger effects often observed closer to voting day
- Example: Last-minute priming of scandal may significantly impact voter perceptions
- Priming influences voter turnout by highlighting issue importance or election stakes
- Example: Priming of Supreme Court nominations may increase turnout among voters concerned about judicial appointments
- by political campaigns activates favorable associations among target voter groups
- Example: Priming of economic growth in areas benefiting from specific policies
- Priming can affect different voter groups differently
- Example: Issue priming may have stronger effects on undecided voters compared to strong partisans
Priming's Long-Term Effects on Politics
Attitude Formation and Polarization
- Cumulative exposure to media priming leads to formation of enduring political attitudes and beliefs over time
- Long-term priming effects contribute to polarization of political attitudes by consistently activating partisan schemas
- Repeated priming of certain issues leads to chronic accessibility, making them persistently influential in political evaluations
- Example: Continuous priming of immigration issues may shape long-term voting patterns
- Media priming shapes individuals' political identity and party affiliation through repeated exposure to partisan-aligned issue frames
- Example: Consistent priming of social issues may strengthen identification with specific political ideologies
Cynicism, Engagement, and Stereotypes
- Cultivation of political cynicism or engagement results from long-term exposure to certain types of media priming
- Example: Persistent negative priming of political institutions may foster long-term distrust in government
- Priming effects contribute to formation and maintenance of political stereotypes and biases over extended periods
- Example: Repeated priming of gender stereotypes in political coverage may influence long-term perceptions of female candidates
- Interaction between media priming and real-world events leads to lasting changes in public opinion on political issues and institutions
- Example: Priming of economic indicators during recessions may have long-term effects on economic policy preferences
- Long-term priming can create enduring associations between political parties and specific issues or values
- Example: Consistent priming of environmental issues may create lasting perceptions of party competence in this area
Key Terms to Review (23)
Accessibility model of priming: The accessibility model of priming suggests that media exposure can influence the ease with which information is retrieved from memory, impacting how individuals think about and evaluate political issues. This model highlights how certain topics emphasized in the media can make related thoughts and concepts more readily available in an individual's mind, thus affecting their opinions and judgments. By shaping what is easily accessible, media coverage can prime audiences to focus on specific aspects of political events or issues over others.
Agenda-setting theory: Agenda-setting theory posits that the media has the power to influence which issues are deemed important by the public and policymakers. It suggests that while the media may not tell people what to think, it significantly shapes what people think about by emphasizing specific topics and framing them in certain ways.
Associative network: An associative network is a cognitive model that represents how information is interconnected in memory, where concepts are linked through associations based on shared features or experiences. This framework helps explain how exposure to specific stimuli can activate related thoughts or ideas, influencing perceptions and behaviors. Associative networks play a crucial role in understanding how priming effects work in media coverage by demonstrating how certain cues can trigger related information and shape public opinion.
Cues: Cues are signals or indicators that influence individuals' perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors, particularly in relation to information received through media coverage. These cues can be verbal or non-verbal and help audiences interpret messages, often activating existing beliefs and feelings about a subject, which is essential in shaping political opinions.
Electoral outcomes: Electoral outcomes refer to the results of elections, which determine the allocation of political power within a given system. These outcomes not only reflect the preferences of voters but also play a crucial role in shaping policy decisions and governance structures. Understanding electoral outcomes helps reveal how media coverage and public opinion can influence the electoral process, impacting which candidates or parties gain power.
Experiments: Experiments are research methods used to determine cause-and-effect relationships by manipulating one or more independent variables and observing the effects on dependent variables. In media studies, experiments can reveal how different media presentations influence public opinion and behavior, especially in relation to priming effects where exposure to specific information can affect the perception of subsequent information.
Framing Theory: Framing theory is a concept in communication and media studies that focuses on how information is presented and organized to influence audience perception and interpretation. It plays a crucial role in shaping public understanding of issues by emphasizing certain aspects while downplaying others, thus guiding how people think about topics like politics, social issues, and media narratives.
Issue ownership theory: Issue ownership theory suggests that certain political parties or candidates are associated with specific issues based on their historical positions and actions. This connection affects how voters perceive the competence and reliability of parties on those issues, influencing electoral outcomes and party strategies in communication and media representation.
Issue salience: Issue salience refers to the importance or prominence that a particular issue holds in the public's mind, influencing how individuals prioritize political topics and decisions. High issue salience can lead to increased public engagement and attention, affecting both media coverage and political campaigns. When issues are deemed salient, they can shape voter behavior, political discourse, and how candidates present their platforms.
Iyengar and Kinder: Iyengar and Kinder refer to researchers who conducted important studies on the effects of media coverage on public opinion, particularly focusing on priming effects. Their work highlighted how specific issues presented in the media can shape the criteria by which people evaluate political figures and policies, emphasizing that the media not only informs but also influences public perceptions and priorities.
Media bias: Media bias refers to the perceived or real partiality of journalists and news organizations in their coverage of events, issues, and people. This bias can manifest in the selection of stories, the framing of information, and the portrayal of individuals or groups, influencing public perception and political attitudes.
Negative priming: Negative priming refers to the phenomenon where exposure to a stimulus can interfere with the processing of a subsequent stimulus. This occurs when an individual is instructed to ignore or suppress certain information, leading to slower reaction times or reduced accuracy when that ignored information is later encountered. In media coverage, this can influence how individuals respond to particular political messages based on their previous exposure to negative portrayals or biases.
Nelson, Clawson, and Oxley: Nelson, Clawson, and Oxley refer to researchers who studied the priming effects of media coverage on public opinion and political attitudes. Their work emphasizes how media framing can shape the way individuals perceive political issues by highlighting certain aspects while downplaying others. This research connects to the broader understanding of how media influences public perceptions and political behavior through selective emphasis.
Performance priming hypothesis: The performance priming hypothesis suggests that exposure to specific cues in media can activate certain cognitive frameworks or mental associations, which in turn influences an individual's performance or response in subsequent tasks. This hypothesis highlights how the framing and focus of media coverage can shape public perceptions and behaviors, particularly in political contexts, by priming audiences to think about specific issues or attributes related to candidates and policies.
Policy prioritization: Policy prioritization is the process of determining which policies or issues are considered most important and should be addressed first by decision-makers. This process often relies on factors such as public opinion, media coverage, and political agendas, shaping how resources and attention are allocated to different matters.
Priming effects: Priming effects refer to the psychological phenomenon where exposure to certain stimuli influences the response to subsequent stimuli, particularly in the context of media and public opinion. This effect can shape how individuals think about issues, candidates, or events by making specific information more accessible and relevant in their minds. Media coverage can prime audiences by highlighting particular topics or framing them in a certain way, ultimately affecting attitudes, decisions, and behavior.
Public opinion shaping: Public opinion shaping refers to the process through which individuals and groups influence the attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions of the general population regarding political issues or events. This process is significantly impacted by media coverage, which can highlight certain issues while downplaying others, thereby priming the public to think about specific topics in a particular way.
Second-level priming: Second-level priming refers to the media's ability to influence not only which issues are considered important by the public but also how people think about those issues. This concept highlights the role of the media in shaping public perception and attitudes by associating certain attributes or evaluations with specific topics, thereby affecting the overall understanding and interpretation of those issues.
Social media: Social media refers to digital platforms that enable users to create, share, and interact with content, fostering communication and collaboration in real-time. These platforms have transformed how information is disseminated and consumed, impacting public discourse, political engagement, and the overall dynamics of communication.
Strategic priming: Strategic priming refers to the process by which media coverage influences the way audiences perceive and evaluate issues, candidates, or events by emphasizing specific aspects while downplaying others. This form of priming is intentional and is often used by media outlets to shape public opinion and guide audience interpretation through selective framing and emphasis on particular themes.
Surveys: Surveys are research tools used to gather information from a sample of individuals to understand opinions, behaviors, or characteristics of a larger population. They are commonly used in political science and media studies to assess public opinion, gauge the effectiveness of media coverage, and analyze trends over time.
Television news: Television news is a broadcast format that delivers news coverage and reports through visual media, primarily via television channels. It emerged as a dominant source of information for the public, shaping perceptions of events and issues, especially in politics. The immediacy of television allows for real-time updates and visual storytelling, making it a powerful tool in influencing public opinion and political narratives.
Voter mobilization: Voter mobilization refers to the efforts made to encourage and facilitate participation in the electoral process, ensuring that eligible voters are informed, registered, and motivated to cast their ballots. These efforts can include outreach campaigns, education initiatives, and logistical support to overcome barriers that might prevent individuals from voting. The effectiveness of voter mobilization strategies can significantly influence election outcomes, especially in closely contested races.