In a study of the efficacy of subtle verbal and nonverbal conversational priming, the majority of 90 participants who watched either a video or live performance of a magician performing a card trick chose the suit, number, or exact card they were primed to choose and reported that although they were unable to explain the reason for the decision, they felt in control of the choice; the results suggest that embedding priming within speech and gestures unconsciously influences decision making, according to the authors.
Article #20-00682: "Influencing choices with conversational primes: How a magic trick unconsciously influences card choices," by Alice Pailhès and Gustav Kuhn.
MEDIA CONTACT: Alice Pailhès, Goldsmiths University of London, UNITED KINGDOM; tel: +33615140269; e-mail: apail001@gold.ac.uk ; Sarah Cox, Goldsmiths University of London, UNITED KINGDOM; tel: +4420 7919 7703; e-mail: s.cox@gold.ac.uk
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences