A group of students was asked to play a racing game. Another group was asked to play a slow moving game that simulates every day
activities of human beings. After playing the game, the group that played the racing game seemed more active than the group worked on the simulation. Which of the following has caused this occurrence? a. Priming
b. Controlled cognition
c. False consensus
d. False imagery
Priming is a situation whereby indulgence in an activity changes one’s behaviour, ability, or thoughts: The group of students who played the racing game seemed to be more active than before because their thoughts became more accustomed to the faster nature of the racing game which influenced their behaviour and made them more active; on the other hand, the students who played the slow moving game didn’t seem to be more active because of the slow nature of the game they played.
Priming is the response an individual has towards a stimulus according to their previous exposure to it. It is basically a prime or stimulus that will directly affect individuals in a psychological experiment. In this case, the second group was exposed to every day activities, which they have already been exposed to and probably conform their daily routines, thus they react the same way the do to them every day, as mere routine. This is why the first group is more active, as they have been exposed to stimuli that is different than their prime, whereas the second group has not experienced anything "out of the ordinary."
