Capital Summertime Ball 2024

[Andy B]

I need some help. What's the name of that psychological trick whereby if you repeat something over and over again it sticks in your head?

Like if you kept saying the number 103 over and over again and then someone asks you a numerical related question the only number you think of is 103.

It's kind of like auto suggestion but a much more short term thing. Kinds like the stuff Derren Brown does but to yourself.

Any help anyone can give would be greatly appreciated. Bit of a short time frame on this too. Sorry.

[Jono]

Nothing like 'repetition priming' is it?

[Andy B]

Dunno not much info on wikipedia on it. I'd need some more information on it. Anything more you can offer?

[Geezer7348]

Depends on your time frame Andy but I know of a support forum in which there are some psychologist's on, not sure if it's of any help but they run a forum

http://www.uncommonforum.com/viewforum.php?f=19

[Andy B]

I kinda need an answer by tomorrow evening. Not sure if they could get back to me by then and as it's a support forum it I don't want to start asking random questions on there really but thanks anyway neil. worst case scenario I'll make something up that sounds good.

[YFOS]

ironically i cannot remember my memory unit in psychology or i might have been able to help :S

[Lucinda]

I don't study psychology and never have but I'm reading the Oxford Dictionary of Psychology (I have online access - gotta love university) so if you have any keywords to suggest I can search for them.

priming n. 1. In a task involving recall, recognition, or some other form of cognitive performance, the provision of a contextual cue (3) , prime (1) , or prompt that provides information about either the identity or the time of appearance of a target stimulus and that may facilitate a response (in facilitative priming) or inhibit it (in inhibitory priming). When primes provide information that influences expectancies of targets, as in associative priming in which primes are meaningfully related to targets, expectation-dependent or strategic priming may occur, whereas when primes are unrelated to targets only automatic priming can occur, though it occurs more quickly. Associative priming that is dependent on verbal meaning, as when the prime bread is provided for the target butter, is called semantic priming; and a common type of associative priming that is not dependent on verbal meaning is initial letter priming, when the first letter of the word to be remembered is provided as a cue. Associative prim-ing based on the sounds of words is called phonological priming: see yolk phenomenon.

2. Reduced reaction time (quicker responding) resulting from a signal warning of the imminent presentation of the stimulus. Compare negative priming .

3. In research involving animals self-stimulating their pleasure centres , the provision of an initial stimulatory impulse at the start of the session to encourage the animal to provide further impulses on its own. [From Latin primus first]