Context-Dependent Effects of Goal Primes JULIANO LARAN

We provide evidence that goal priming effects are context dependent. We show that goal primes encourage prime-consistent behavior when the behavioral context is common and prime-inconsistent behavior when the behavioral context is un-common. While the prime-consistent behavior is compatible with existing theory, the prime-inconsistent behavior poses a theoretical challenge. We argue that un-common behavioral contexts encourage the release of a primed goal and, as a consequence, an increase in the relative activation of information inconsistent with the primed goal and prime-inconsistent behavior. The influence of priming in consumer behavior is ubiq-uitous. Primes have been shown to influence product evaluations (e.g., Brendl, Markman, and Messner 2003), consideration set formation (e.g., Shapiro 1999), choices (e.g., Chun and Kruglanski 2005; Sheeran et al. 2005), the extremity of behavior (e.g., Shang, Reed, and Croson 2008), and product experience (e.g., Aaker and Stayman 1992). The pervasive influence of primes has also led to an exten-sive documentation of the processes supporting priming ef-fects. Priming effects have been attributed to self-concept activation (e.g., Shang et al. 2008; Wheeler, DeMarree, and Petty 2007), information accessibility (e.g., Wheeler and Berger 2007), trait activation (e.g., Srull and Wyer 1979), exemplar activation (e.g., Stapel, Koomen, and Velthuijsen 1998), category activation (e.g., Bargh, Chen, and Burrows 1996), habit activation (e.g., Sheeran et al. 2005), mimicr