The Subconscious Catch-22
The Cabinet Office released a report last week titled "Mindspace", outlining a series of ideas for influencing behaviour to more sustainable and beneficial goals. An interesting read, the report highlights several ways to promote new programs to influence people. Among the methods proposed is the idea of 'priming' – a technique of subconsciously influencing people's behaviour.
To introduce this interesting concept, there's a thought experiment we can do, and it's quite simple really. For the next 30 seconds, do not think about Polar Bears.
Not easy is it?
Problems arise when your brain tries to let things go. If you tried not to think about a Polar Bear, you can't help but do it –a paradox called the 'ironic process'. To not think about something, your mind checks you're not thinking about it - which makes you think about it. So how does this link to priming? It shows that even when you're not thinking about something, you're still processing information that you've picked up - without even knowing.
One influential study by John Bargh in 1996 highlighted this using a very clever experiment. Two groups of people were given simple word puzzles to complete by the researchers. One group's puzzle used neutral words, and the other group's puzzle was laden with words relating to older people: like 'grey', 'bingo' and 'retired'. Participants completed the task, were thanked for their time and left the room. But now the experiment really began; participants were secretly timed on how long it took them to walk to the exit.
Later analysis showed that incredibly, people who completed the puzzle with the 'old' words walked slower than the others. Primed by the stereotypes of older people, these participants casually strolled out of the experiment. None of the words included in the puzzle related to speed or agility, and participants weren't aware of any effect or influence from the test. Far from being a negative stereotype however, the experimental group also reported a trend of being happier than the other group.
At the first PTRC seminar last week, we saw a Merseyside Travelwise video back from 1997 promoting the virtues of sustainable travel. The messages were very similar to the ones we use today, but the information was presented in an interesting way. At one point in the video, we saw a cyclist riding down the street with an ambulance riding behind at the very same speed – how might people think about cycling after seeing that?
Reading a few words highlights how the little details can influence people's behaviour. Whether it's associating positive stereotypes to the modes of travel we want to promote, or the way public transport stations stand in their environment, the small things can make a difference. Without knowing, people can become influenced by the little details. Just like that Polar Bear you can't stop thinking about.
If you'd like to find out more how the Centre for Transport and Psychology can help with attitude and behaviour change programs, you can get in touch with us at CTP@jmp.co.uk, or visit our website www.vctp.org for more information.
One of our CTP Members, Professor Alan Tapp, will be delivering a keynote speech at the Bristol Social Marketing Centre on Thursday 27th May. If you would like more information, you can follow the link here or contact the Centre at bsm@uwe.ac.uk
References
Bargh, J. A., Chen, M., & Burrows, L. (1996). Automaticity of social behavior: Direct effects of trait construct and stereotype priming on action. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 230-244.
