Do you see what I see? – on being “primed”

Do you see what I see? Yes…and no.

In an earlier post I described an experiment to demonstrate an aspect of priming, termed fundamental attribution error.

It should be noted that the process of attribution has some inherent cultural bias in that more individualist cultures (such as Australia or the United States of America) seem to be more easily influenced by the observed behavior than the setting. In more collectivist cultures (such as Japan or Thailand) where conformity to social norms is a key attribute, the tendency is to look for more environmental and group interaction social cues when assessing reasons for behavior. In both situations we are primed to make up stories to explain why people are behaving in the manner we observe.

This concept also supports an inherent cognitive bias, that of group attribution error. In that case group members appear more likely to attribute the decisions of their own group to its decision rules, while they tend to attribute the decisions of another group to its members’ attitude. “We followed the rules. They cheated.” An interesting perspective on this cognitive theory is how it is being influenced and modified by pervasive “always-on” and “always-connected” technologies. More on that in a later post.

In this single cognitive theory we see the seeds of how we are “primed”. Being primed describes the preparation for action that comes from participation in organizational systems and in life in general. We need to act, in fact are compelled to act by social necessity. We are primed to learn at a young age. We are primed to engage with others, when we mirror the social interactions of our family. We are primed to make friends and romantic attachments. We are primed to search for meaning and joy. So much of this priming is subconscious. Yet it informs everything. What we perceive, what we do and what we say. Even who we are.

Another interesting aspect of priming is that it exists without an inherent value bias. It is neither good nor bad. Priming simply happens and it is ongoing. Whether we recognize it or not.

With the odds stacked against us in terms of the exercise of our free will how do we combat our hard-wired tendency to go with what we think we know? Well being primed is also an intentional act. We can directly address the way we are primed and the way in which we help prime others so that we can realize the changes we seek. Much in the same way an athlete may mentally prepare for hew event through training and coaching we can also prime ourselves to perceive and respond differently. What we need to understand are the forces at play that are creating perceptions; our self-perception, our perception of others and our perception of reality as we experience it. In understanding those perceptions we can choose to influence them, change them and, yes, eradicate them in the face of better data (or better perceptions!) It is concerned with finding those perceptions that reinforce or hold the greatest sway over how we think, feel and act. When found, it is about challenging them in a systematic and meaningful way to create a better outcome. The end results: better organizations, better innovations and better value creation.