1. Introduction Hundreds of studies have shown that trait concepts and stereotypes can be activated subconsciously via so-called ‘priming’ techniques. In a laboratory setting, Bargh, Chen, and Burrows (1996) primed experiment participants with rudeness and observed that test subjects interrupted the experimenter more quickly and frequently than did participants primed with polite- related stimuli. In the same study, Bargh, Chen, and Burrows found that participants primed with an elderly stereotype walked more slowly down the hallway when leaving the laboratory than did control participants. Dijksterhuis (1998) showed that participants’ scores on general knowledge tests were significantly higher for those who were primed for intelligence via exposure to a photograph of a professor than control group members who were exposed to images of soccer hooligans. I primed students in the classroom environment. Students were primed with “achievement” or “underachievement,” then they listened to a lecture and quizzed on its content. Students primed with achievement statistically, significantly outperformed those primed for underachievement. Materials and methods I blindly, randomly assigned 69 University of Alabama/Shelton State CC undergraduate students of introductory economics to one of four groups: Nick Saban; Steve Jobs; Bluto; The Twins. (n=64; four foreign students did not recognize Nick Saban and one student did not complete the experiment.) During regularly scheduled class time, students were asked to complete a vocabulary exercise. I blindly gave each student an image of the individual from their assigned group and asked them to write as many words as possible describing their assigned image within a five minute time- frame. Next, the class watched a video of Daniel Kahneman’s Nobel Prize Lecture (duration: 38 minutes). Then, students were (pop) quizzed on the content of the Kahneman lecture and then completed a survey verifying the integrity of priming experiment methodology. Post- experiment survey results indicate complete adherence to the standards offered by Chartrand & Bargh (2000). I Need Your Help: 1.If you have suggestions for improving experimental design and establishing causality, I am eager to hear your thoughts. 2.Become a co-author on my next paper. I am running this experiment again at EKU, but more heterogeneity and additional co-authors and independently generated data would improve confidence in the results. I will provide a packet of materials and instructions and you will conduct a field experiment during a regularly scheduled class. Since the experiment is categorized by IRB as Category I exempt, you will need department chair approval. 3.I need a job for the Summer and Fall. If you have any leads, please let me know. Conclusions Though the experiment was rigorously conducted, the notion that priming can have such a powerful effect should be discounted greatly—if these findings are true then the implications are (seriously) incredible. First, there are many potential sources of endogeneity. Second, if priming can have such significant and long-lasting effects on student performance, then faculty, administrators and students could conceivably enjoy a (virtually) free-lunch in terms of improving student outcomes. (Also, the priming literature is controversial to some. Many people viscerally reject the notion that subconscious cues significantly affect behavior.) Developing and implementing primes would be very cheap and scalable across very large populations—including primary, secondary and post-secondary school students. The results are promising, but much more needs to be done. Thad Jackson Eastern Kentucky University Literature cited Bargh, J., Chen, M, & Burrows, L. (1996). Automaticity of social behavior: Direct effects of trait construct and stereotype activation on action. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71(2), 230-244. Chartrand, T., & Bargh, J. (2000). A practical guide to priming and automaticity research. In H. Reis, & C. Judd, Handbook of research methods in social and personality psychology (pp. 253-285). New York: Cambridge University Press Dijksterhuis, A., & Knippenberg, A.V. (1998). The relation between perception and behavior, or how to win a game of trivial pursuit. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(4), 865-877. Priming Students for Performance in the Classroom