To Prime or not to Prime: The Impact of Topic-Related Contextual Priming on Collaborative Brainstorming in Mixed Reality Environments

This study explores how topic-related contextual priming in mixed reality (MR) environments affects idea generation during remote collaborative brainstorming. We conducted a within-subjects experiment with 42 participants who completed brainstorming tasks under two conditions: with and without contextual priming based on 3D objects in the local environment. Using MR headsets and a virtual whiteboard, participants generated ideas on sustainability topics in digitally augmented spaces featuring task-relevant 3D objects. Results show that contextual priming significantly increased the number of unique ideas, idea depth, and idea quality (workability, relevance, and novelty). However, it did not significantly improve the breadth of idea categories, suggesting that MR priming enhances focused elaboration more than divergent thinking. These findings advance our understanding of how MR technologies influence group creativity and contribute to the growing literature on digital collaboration. Future research should investigate the long-term effects, participant expertise, and other factors that influence ideation in MR-enhanced settings.