Priming Theory Research Articles

Lexicalisation in Media Reports of Recurrent Diphtheria Outbreak in Nigeria: Implications for Health Communication

Linguistic studies on media coverage of pandemics and outbreaks in Nigeria, including the COVID-19 pandemic, Ebola, and Lassa fever, have been extensive. However, the linguistic analysis of media reports on the diphtheria outbreak remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by examining the lexical choices employed in framing the diphtheria outbreak in Nigeria. Twenty articles from four popular Nigerian newspapers – The Punch, The Guardian, The Vanguard, and The Premium Times – were examined to discover the prevalent frames and associated lexical choices. The articles were collected between January and August 2023, a significant period marked by the resurgence of the disease and extensive reporting on its impact on victims. Using frame theory and lexical priming theory as analytical frameworks, the study identified frames such as health crisis, victim, government response, global aid and response, vaccination shortfall/hesitancy, public health awareness, past antecedent, and collaborative effort. Common lexical choices included terms like “deadly,” “surge,” and “critical situation,” which emphasize fear and urgency. This emotive tone is used purposefully to attract readers’ attention and prime them to interpret the outbreak as an urgent public health issue. Frames like Public Health Awareness and Government Response are concerned with informing the public. Several other frames, most notably Vaccination Shortfall/Hesitancy and Collaborative Effort, serve as a rallying cry. They highlight the need for increased vaccination coverage, collaboration among stakeholders, and public participation in health measures. Through framing and lexical choices, the media shapes public opinion, influences perceptions, and guides individual and collective responses to health issues like the diphtheria outbreak. The relevance of this study lies in its contribution to understanding how media framing and lexical choices impact public health communication, ultimately aiding in more effective health crisis management and public engagement strategies.

Crossing lines for laughs: Racial stereotyping and social identity in r/RoastMe

ABSTRACT Racial stereotypes are harmful to those they apply to, leading to the totalization of identity and problematic interactions. Invocations of stereotypes are generally taboo in conversation but are often deemed permissible when couched in humor. This project uses text mining to explore racial stereotyping in a Reddit community focused on denigrative humor, r/RoastMe. Using the social identity model of deindividuation effects (SIDE) and priming theory, this work examines the prevalence and content of stereotypes relating to users’ racial identities. The results demonstrate that jokes directed toward non-White individuals often employ stereotypes of race and nationality, providing evidence for the effects of minimal cues in online interaction. Moreover, racialized current events were found to influence the frequency of relevant racial associations.

The lexical boost is not an automatic part of sentence production: Evidence from Japanese structural priming.

The lexical boost is an increase in structural priming with overlapping elements like verbs. Residual activation priming theories argue that the boost is an automatic side effect of sentence planning. In contrast, explicit memory theories of the boost argue that it is the result of a non-automatic explicit memory retrieval. These theories were contrasted in Japanese by including a prime memory task in a structural priming study. Structural priming was found for both datives and passives, but no lexical boost was found, and one possible reason was that explicit memory for the prime structure was weak. In a follow-up study, priming was found in a sentence-completion task, but there was no lexical boost. The existence of abstract priming and the lack of a lexical boost in these studies falsify theories that argue that verb overlap automatically creates a boost under conditions that exhibit abstract priming.

Weaving The Fabric of True Korean Through Media Exposure Among Youth in Korea

Objective: This research aims to identify distinct perception typologies of national identity among Korean adolescents, focusing on the interplay of ancestral ties, cultural heritage, birthplace, residence, and civic responsibilities. It also examines the role of media portrayals of foreigners in shaping these identity constructs. Theoretical Framework: Guided by Anderson’s “imagined communities” concept, the study employs media framing and priming theories to explore how media influences adolescent perceptions of national identity. Method: Utilizing data from the 2021 Multicultural Acceptance Survey conducted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, this study applies latent class analysis to assess responses from 5,000 Korean middle and high school students. The survey includes factors such as ancestry, cultural heritage, and civic engagement, with media exposure to foreign volunteers and criminals rated on a five-point Likert scale. Latent regression analysis incorporates media exposure as covariates to evaluate effects on identity formation. Results and Discussion: Five perception types emerge—Ethnic, Pluralistic, Civic, Cultural, and Holistic identities. Media portrayals significantly influence Civic and Pluralistic identities, underscoring media’s formative role in adolescent identity perception. Research Implications: The findings offer insights for multicultural education and identity policy, supporting frameworks that acknowledge diverse youth identities. Originality/Value: This study provides a unique contribution by focusing on adolescents and using latent class analysis for a nuanced understanding of national identity perception types. It further underscores the influential role of media in shaping youth identity, contributing to both media studies and identity policy discourse.

The interactive effect of integral and incidental emotions on creative metaphor performance

Prior research on the relationship between emotion and creativity has mostly focused on the influence of incidental emotions on creative performance. The present study aimed to explore how incidental and integral emotions interact to influence the generation of creative metaphors from the perspective of the affect priming theory. In the study, we applied video clips to induce participants’ positive or negative incidental emotions while selecting metaphors that ask participants to describe personal emotional experiences with positive or negative valence to manipulate integral emotions. Participants generated several metaphors immediately after watching the video clips. The study found that participants who watched happy (sad) videos generated the most creative metaphors when expressing positive (negative) emotional experiences, which suggests that integral and incidental emotions interact to influence the generation of creative metaphors through the emotion congruency effect. The results are further discussed from the perspective of affect priming theory.

Assessing the Content Relevance of Gender-based Violence News Articles in Tanzanian Newspapers on Reducing the Problem

Aims: The purpose of the study was to assess the content relevance of Gender-based Violence (GBV) news articles in Tanzanian newspapers on reducing the problem. The study applied Agenda setting theory (McCombs and Shaw, 1972) as a leading theory complemented by the Priming theory (Iyengar, Peters, and Kender, 1982) and Framing theory (Gregory Bateson, 1972). Study Design: The study adopted a triangulation approach where both quantitative and qualitative methods and tools were applied. The study was conducted between September 2022 and January 2023 in six regions of Tanzania Mainland (Dodoma, Iringa, Kigoma, Mtwara, Mwanza, and Tanga) and two main Islands of Zanzibar (Unguja and Pemba). Methodology: The study was cross-sectional and applied a triangulation approach whereby both qualitative and quantitative research methods were applied in data collection, analysis, and reporting. It involved 161 respondents and 297 copies of five daily newspapers for data. Findings: From the study, it was revealed that GBV content had little relevance. It was scarcely reported; that was, only 2% of GBV articles out of 14,618 were identified. There was also a significant variation in GBV reporting between newspapers - the highest percentage of articles in newspapers was 0.76% and the lowest was 0.06%. In addition, the study revealed sexual violence was reported more frequently 36% and psychological violence less frequently 11%. Furthermore, Kiswahili newspapers carried 80% of all GBV articles compared to 20% of English newspapers. GBV articles were geographically relevant but were not enough to motivate respondents to read newspapers. Hence the majority of the respondents 52% were not satisfied with the usefulness of GBV issues reported in newspapers. Conclusion: The study concluded that most of the contents of GBV articles in the Tanzanian newspapers had little relevance and thus low contribution to reducing GBV in the country. It was therefore recommended that media houses/outlets should think of establishing special GBV reporting desks, investing in investigative reporting of GBV, and considering the recruitment of specialized GBV editors and reporters.

Syntactic priming in the classroom: using narratives to prime L2 arabic speakers

A robust finding in psycholinguistics is that prior language experience influences subsequent language processing. This phenomenon is known as syntactic priming. Most of the empirical support for L2 syntactic priming comes from lab-based experiments. However, this evidence might not reflect how priming occurs in typical language activities in the L2 classroom. As such, we conducted a classroom-based priming study. Using a between-subject design, 52 L2 Arabic speakers read and listened to eight story-reading sessions over two weeks that either included a high proportion of the fronted temporal phrase (TP) structure (experimental group) or included no fronted TPs (controls). The effect of L2 proficiency was also investigated. Results revealed that the experimental group did not significantly increase their use of fronted TPs in the immediate posttest or the one-week delayed posttest relative to the baseline. A null effect of Arabic L2 proficiency was also observed. We discuss our findings in light of related priming theories and previous findings. This study highlights the need for more research on syntactic priming via common language tasks in the L2 classroom.

Semantic-to-autobiographical memory priming: the role of cue repetition

ABSTRACT It is now well established that general information processing causes the activation of memories in the autobiographical memory system, and these memories on occasion emerge as involuntary autobiographical memories. This priming phenomenon has been dubbed semantic-to-autobiographical memory priming, and our goal in the current study was to examine the effects of cue/prime repetition on the production of involuntary autobiographical memories that were primed with semantic stimuli. In three experiments, participants were primed with words (e.g., cat), and then they were given an involuntary memory task (the vigilance task), which contained cues related to the primed stimuli. In Experiment 1, the cues were phrases containing the primes (e.g., getting a cat), which were presented one or five times. In Experiment 2, the cues were also phrases containing the primes (e.g., getting a cat), but they changed their context (e.g., feeding a cat), every time they repeated in the five-presentation condition. Experiment 3 also presented the cues one or five times, but the cues were replicas of the primes (e.g., cat). Consistent with predictions, greater priming was found in the five-presentation cue conditions in all three experiments, and Experiment 3 failed to find priming in the one-presentation cue condition, also consistent with predictions. We explain the findings in terms of semantic-to-autobiographical memory priming theory, and also argue that the results help explain the production of involuntary memories in everyday life.

The Emotional Power of Partisan Media: A Computer Vision Analysis of the 2020 Democratic Party Presidential Primaries

ABSTRACT Building on theories of emotional contagion and affective priming, the study assesses the emotional impact of the U.S. partisan media’s coverage of six leading political candidates’ images during the 2020 New Hampshire Democratic Party presidential primary. Results show that the partisan media’s representations of the candidates’ facial expressions of emotions are associated with the voters’ feelings toward the politicians in their desired directions. Additionally, the partisan-media-primed emotions among the voters consistently align with their voting decisions. Methodologically, the study combines state-of-the-art computer vision techniques and survey research conducted with a representative sample of New Hampshire voters.

So cute, I could wait: the effect of cuteness on consumer patience.

While waiting has been a prevalent and mentally taxing experience for consumers in marketing scenarios, little research has explored situational factors that enhance consumer patience. Drawing on the priming theory, attachment theory, and conservation of resources theory, the current research examines how cuteness as a situational factor affects consumer patience. Across five experiments (N = 1030), we demonstrate that exposure to cuteness enhances consumer patience (Study 1). Moreover, we uncover that the effect is driven by perceived social support employing both mediation (Study 2) and moderation approaches (Study 3). Furthermore, we identify time pressure as the moderator, such that the effect of cuteness on consumer patience only exists among individuals under low time pressure and disappears for those under high time pressure (Study 4). Finally, we examine the downstream consequence of consumer patience for word-of-mouth positivity (Study 5). These findings contribute to the literature on cuteness, patience, and perceived social support, while also offering practical implications for companies seeking to enhance consumer patience.

INFLUENCE OF DOCUMENTARY FILMS ON LEARNING CULTURAL AWARENESS AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN UYO, NIGERIA

The study explores the influence of documentary films on learning, awareness, and cultural consciousness of undergraduate University students in Uyo Akwa Ibom State Nigeria. Documentaries, portraying real-life scenarios, serve to educate, inform, and entertain audiences. Six focus group discussions with undergraduate students at the University were conducted and interview questions were guided by review of literature and Priming Theory to facilitate discussions. Data from the focus group discussions were tape recoded, transcribed verbatim, coded, and thematically analyzed. Findings from the study revealed that students gain new knowledge, experience emotional arousal, and develop empathy through exposure to documentary films. Furthermore, documentaries serve as platforms for information dissemination, behavior shaping, and reinforcement of viewers' beliefs. Globalization and technological advancement have led to the wide spread of Western cultural values, while Nigerian indigenous cultural heritage faces decline, particularly among the youth. Documentaries emerge as essential tools for raising awareness and fostering cultural consciousness and countering the erosion of local traditions and values. On the premise of dominance of western culture, social polarization, and declining cultural values among youth, documentaries can help reignite interest in societal norms and help to preserve the culture and traditional heritage of the people in Akwa Ibom State.

Role of Lexical Priming theory in the investigation of the formal characteristics of metaphoricity

This paper aims to relate the body of research and findings on the role of Michael Hoey’s Lexical Priming theory in current metaphor investigation, with special emphasis in the research on its formal representations. It is argued that the application of this theory to the analysis of metaphor, pioneered by Katie J. Patterson, sheds light to the explanation of some aspects of metaphoric language which have been of increasing interest among linguists in recent years. From a purely theoretical approach, these contributions will be thoroughly examined. The ability of this theory to account for the processes of metaphor acquisition, identification, and usage by the individual, as well as for the great diversity of metaphorical behaviours and uses, demonstrates the particular relevance of its application to the study of figurative language.

Media's Impact on the Strengthening of Hostility Between Chinese and American Public

This paper shows how the media accomplishes its goals through the language and structure of the article about the Spy Balloon Incident. The analytical process is discussed from agenda-setting theory, Framing theory, and Priming theory, showing the underlying logic of the media and how they increase the hatred of the people of two countries towards each other's country through the spy balloon incident. With this thesis, the paper hope to make readers realize that the media is not necessarily presenting the real facts, but instead may be leading them to think what the polity or consortium behind the media wants them to think. This paper is different from the previous ones because it takes examples from the mainstream media outlets in two separate countries, rather than just looking at media outlets in a single country alone since they might work for the same polity and consortium, which means they have the same interest, and truth will not be revealed to people. This gives a more comprehensive perspective and logical integrity since it considers the issue from opposing sides. Unsurprisingly, the media are leading the crowd by adjusting the language and structure of their paragraphs.

COVERAGE OF CHILDREN'S ISSUES ON THE EXAMPLE OF GEORGIAN NEWS AGENCIES (INTERPRESSNEWS.GE AND PRIMETIME.GE)

Children are an important part of society. They have special rights, but they remain the most vulnerable members of society. Since it is easy to influence a child, the negative impulses received at this age can have a negative effect on his/her whole life. Violation of children's rights, along with many other factors, can lead to improper coverage of issues related to them by the media. Therefore, media materials prepared for children require significant editorial verification before publication. The role of the media in the issue of adolescent socialization is immeasurable. Therefore, it should make every effort to protect the rights and interests of the child, promote its development, and show the rest of society through constant exposure to discriminatory facts how important it is to mobilize and strengthen this link. In this paper, we have identified the significant trends in the coverage of children's issues in the examples of online publications. We identified the following news agencies as research objects: interpressnews.ge and primetime.ge. The aim of the work is: • Getting to know the specifics of the work of online publications on children's issues; • Determining trends in coverage of children's issues and identifying gaps; • Development of recommendations based on research results. The methodological bases of the research are qualitative and quantitative methods of content analysis and comparative analysis. As for the theoretical framework, it combines the following concepts: agenda, framing and priming theories. A detailed analysis of the empirical field revealed that coverage of issues related to children continues to face a number of challenges, which mostly include professional-ethical misconduct. In addition, the narrative is superficial, and the periodicity is less favorable. Proper coverage of children's issues is an important aspect of journalistic activity, therefore, we have chosen this topical issue as the research subject.

A Study on the Roles of Proper Names in English Education Using Movies

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how L2 (second language) learners recognize and utilize proper names when they are instructed. Proper names have been researched linguistically but have not been considered as the research subject of second language acquisition. In addition to encyclopedic knowledge that includes cultural information, proper names facilitate the association of narrative contents with language forms. Based on Hoey’s theory of lexical priming [1], this maximizes the retention of language forms, and helps with the understanding of pragmatic contexts. This case study of three students shows the educational value of proper names in the field of English education using movies. The study consisted of an oral memorization test and a written test about proper names followed by an oral interview about the participants’ experiences of proper names. The results show that learning proper names can help with memorization, suggesting it would be promising to teach encyclopedic information in the classroom through proper names. The results further indicate that the participants understood the importance of proper names in remembering a storyline and as a valuable aid for memorization. The participants subconsciously used proper names as primes which gave salience to the target utterances, such salience contributed to the participants’ successful memorization.

The feeling priming theory (FPT) of dreaming.

The feeling priming theory (FPT) of dreaming.

Otherness and suspiciousness: a comparative study of public opinions between the Confucius Institute and Goethe-Institut in developing countries

This study aims to examine the differences in lexical priming features between Confucius Institutes and Goethe-Instituts in developing countries using lexical priming theory and natural language processing techniques. By collecting news media coverage from 2014 to 2023, this study analyses the corpus through collocation, colligation, semantic association, and semantic prosody. In this study, it was found that the Goethe-Institut has a more stable institutional identity, while the Confucius Institute is still largely recognized for language teaching and cultural dissemination activities. The association of the Confucius Institute with China and its government creates a stronger sense of "otherness" and leads to negative perceptions. Overall, this study contributes to a better understanding of public perception and institutional image in developing countries.

The impacts of pandemic-related media coverage on workplace ageism among younger hospitality and tourism employees

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the impacts of pandemic-related media coverage on younger hospitality and tourism employees’ ageist attitudes toward older people by applying the media priming theory and the terror management theory.Design/methodology/approachThis study takes a mixed-method approach through an online survey. A total of 416 usable responses are collected from current US hospitality and tourism employees under 55 years. Qualitative data were analyzed using word cloud. Partial least squares structural equation modeling is then used to test the hypothesized model.FindingsThe study’s results show that younger employees' cognitive reaction negatively affects aging anxiety and intergenerational tension, which subsequently influence their willingness to work with older people. Negative media-induced emotions are positively associated with aging anxiety, whereas positive emotions exert no significant impact. Intergenerational contact frequency moderates the effect of intergenerational tension on younger employees’ willingness to work with older people.Research limitations/implicationsThis study’s findings contribute to the hospitality and tourism workforce literature by considering the priming effects of media coverage on younger employees’ attitudes toward self-aging and the older group. This study also offers managerial insights on developing effective age-inclusion interventions to reduce workplace ageism in the post-pandemic era.Originality/valueExisting hospitality and tourism studies on older workers are scant and largely descriptive. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first study that assesses the effects of pandemic-related media coverage on workplace ageism toward older people among the current hospitality and tourism workforce.

Semantic-to-autobiographical memory priming is ubiquitous.

It is now well established that the activation of semantic memories leads to the activation of autobiographical memories. Studies have shown that semantic processing of words or pictures primes autobiographical memories on voluntary and involuntary autobiographical memory tasks (the Crovitz cue-word task and the vigilance task). Known as semantic-to-autobiographical memory priming, our goal in the current study was to demonstrate the ubiquitous nature of this form of priming by showing that a wide variety of stimuli will prime involuntary autobiographical memories on the vigilance task. In Experiment 1, semantic-to-autobiographical priming was obtained on the vigilance task following the processing of sounds (e.g., the sound of bowling) and spoken words (e.g., the word bowling). In Experiment 2, semantic-to-autobiographical priming was observed on the vigilance task following tactile processing (e.g., the objects ball, glasses) and visual word processing (e.g., the words ball, glasses). In Experiment 3, semantic-to-autobiographical priming was observed on the vigilance task following the processing of videos (e.g., videos of a marching parade) and visual word processing (e.g., the word parade). The results of these experiments support the idea that semantic-to-autobiographical activations occur across a wide variety of stimuli (e.g., linguistic, perceptual). The results also further support the idea that semantic-to-autobiographical memory priming may play an important role in the production of involuntary memories in everyday life. Additional implications (for priming theory and autobiographical memory functions) are discussed.

Usability Testing an mHealth Program with Tailored Motivational Messages for Early Adolescents.

Obesity among children is a rising concern throughout the world. In the U.S., rates of childhood obesity are the highest among children from diverse and economically disadvantaged households. Obesity in adolescence increases the risk of negative physical and psychological health consequences. Mobile-app-based health interventions have been found to be an effective tool to encourage children to adopt a healthier living style. A novel mobile app prototype was developed for early adolescents to communicate with and engage them interactively about healthy eating and active living. To test the app's usability, students from a U.S. middle school, with a majority of children from low-income families, were recruited to use the app and report their feedback. The usability testing results confirmed that the app was equally well received by participants of different genders, normal weight versus overweight/obesity, and amounts of screen time. Study participants also provided overwhelming positive feedback for the embedded and tailored motivational messages that encourage healthy eating and active living. The conceptualization of the app prototype was guided by the self-determination theory, social cognitive theory, and priming theory, in addition to incorporating evidence-based obesity prevention principles. This prototype, hence, provides a valid platform for building theory-based behavioral interventions.