Perception: Subliminal Perception

Subliminal Self-Help Tapes study

the tape labels were switched for different tapes, and the tape label had a strong effect on self-reported improvement -the actual tape had no effect

Problems with semantic priming method

-If stimulus presented too long, participant is too aware of it (supraliminal) -If stimulus presented too quickly--might be too weak to be subliminally perceived -both Supraliminal and subliminal perception would cause the same response pattern

Problem with back masking studies

-backmasked messages are not easy for listeners to recognize less the supposed lyrics are in front of them -top-down perception --> can make us hear or see things that are not present in the physical stimulus

The Hillyard Principle

-claims that when assessing attentional effects in visual perception you must control the "stimulus energy" between conditions -allows you to conclude the effect of attentional, not due to differences in the images themselves -need to make sure the stimuli are identical but the abstractions were different

Subliminal Perception

-perception without census awareness -unaware of stimulus but detected it in some manner still

Hillyard way of testing subliminal messages and hypothetical results

-randomly assign subliminal messages so you are sure the subliminal message is the thing changing opinion Hypothetical results: -the subliminal add always wins or ad #1 always wins -subliminal messaging does not matter to participants choices (more likely to happen)

methods to study subliminal perception

1. present a weak stimulus 2. Divert attention from the subliminal message ad show it affected behavior in some way 3. Present the subliminal message very quickly and mask it (most common method)

attractiveness ratings study

Participants often gave elaborate reasons for what they picked the face even though it was not the face they picked!

introspection into cognitive processes

we make up plausible theories (confabulation)

Problem with Key's advertising study

There is no control baseline to see how often they would choose this advertisement with out the subliminal message

is subliminal perception real?

There seems to be some evidence for it---> but the effects are weak and finicky

Exclusion Paradigm study

Used word-stem completely priming technique -inclusion- complete word-stem with prime -exclusion- do NOT completely word-stem with prime -if subjects are are of prim, their should decrease the probability of completing the word stem w the primed word -if subjects are unaware of the prime, this should decrease the probability of completing the word stem w the primed word

Supraliminal

above the threshold of awareness

subliminal messaging in advertisement

all the literature on it is full of flawed experiments and nonreplicable results strong evidence that supraliminal messages influence consumer behavior

subliminal

below the threshold of awareness

claims about subliminal messages in music and advertisements

completely bogus

Debate Team study results

opinion on a controversial issue changes drastically before and after the debate participants falsely recalled their initial opinions as consistent with their current opinion -no introspective access explaining why they changed opinions

electric shock study results

participants asserted that reassurance or lack go strongly affect their response---> BUT there was no difference in results, everyone said they would be fine even if not given assurance of their safety

Subliminal advertising study by W.B Key

participants shown 3 advertisements and choose which one looks more attractive result: they pick the one with "U Buy" embedded in it proved this was clear evidence of subliminal messaging

Backmasking study results

people are good at discriminating voices but not really good at discriminating language or semantic qualities (findings meanings in words)

Lingerie Experiment results

people are more likely to pick last gown but their reasons was not about position -no introspective access explaining that position made them buy it

Semantic Priming study result

people cannot explicitly report the prime, but they are more lily to fill in the word stem with the prime

Dichotic Listening Task

training phase- participants listen to audio recordings of words (some words paired with electric shock) test phase- participants perform a dichotic listening task and subliminal messages are presented in the ignored stream when prior shock word is played, galvanic skin response increases, detecting small differences in arousal levels--suggesting subliminal detection of the word

Judas Priest Lawsuit

two boys attempt suicide -blame judas preist song, claiming its subliminal message "Do it!" -subliminal perception very serious in the 1970s-80s

How much awareness do we have of our own cognitive processes

we have little introspective access to them

Backmasking

when you play a song backwards and it contains a hidden message or sound -in the 70's rock and pop artists were accused to promoting satanism, suicide, murder, sex, and drug use