THE RELATION BETWEEN PERCEPTION AND BEHAVIOR, OR HOW TO WIN A GAME OFTRIVIAL PURSUIT

The authors tested and confirmed the hypothesis that priming a stereot ype or trait leads to complex overt behavior in line with this activat ed stereotype or trait. Specifically, 4 experiments established that p riming the stereotype of professors or the trait intelligent enhanced participants' performance on a scale measuring general knowledge. Also , priming the stereotype of soccer hooligans or the trait stupid reduc ed participants' performance on a general knowledge scale. Results of the experiments revealed (a) that prolonged priming leads to more pron ounced behavioral effects and (b) that there is no sign of decay of th e effects for at least 15 min. The authors explain their results by cl aiming that perception has a direct and pervasive impact on Evert beha vior (cf. J. A. Bargh, M. Chen, & L. Burrows, 1996). Implications for human social behavior are discussed.