![]() ![]() This puts subliminal messages in the same arena as hypnosis which is widely regarded as pseudo-science. However, the overwhelming consensus is that subliminal suggestions are not particularly powerful. Some researchers argue that the unconscious mind is not capable of critically refusing subliminal messages. This method to influence or persuade is similar to auto-suggestion or hypnosis whereby the individual is encouraged to be relaxed so that the suggestions are directed to the deeper parts of the mind. Subliminal messages may gain their potential influence from the fact that they might be able to circumvent some of the critical functions of the human mind – and hence it has been argued that subliminal messages are more powerful than ordinary messages. However, it is important to note that the majority of research conducted has tested for the latter school of thought.įor the brevity of this section, the consensus of researchers on subliminal messages is as follows: That is, is the whole message perceived or only the main/simpler features? Consequently, there are 2 schools of thoughts – one argues that the message is perceived comprehensively while the other maintains that only the simpler features are perceived. In all cases of subliminal perception, there has been much research regarding how much of the unconscious message is perceived. Therefore, this calls into question whether subliminal marketing is effective at all. However, this was later debunked as the author of the study, James Vicary, later admitted that the study was fabricated. In fact, Packard detailed a study of movie theatres in a particular locality which used subliminal messages to increase the sales of Coca-Cola and popcorn. ![]() Image 1: Packard’s 8 Hidden Needs superimposed on Maslow’s Hierarchy of NeedsĪccording to the book, marketers target these “hidden needs” in order to compel consumers to purchase their product or service. These needs are so compelling that people feel compelled to purchase products in order to satisfy those needs. According to Packard, there are a certain set of 8 hidden needs which advertisers promise to fulfil. This book popularized the term subliminal message. In 1957, Vance Packard published a book entitled ‘The Hidden Persuaders’. ![]() How much of this is true? Let’s delve deeper into the science behind the terminology. At least, this is the supposed psychology behind subliminal marketing. This provides marketers with a prime opportunity to market products to the subconscious minds of customers while nudging their conscious minds to make the purchase. The human brain is capable of processing such a vast amount of information in such a short amount of time that the conscious part of our minds cannot keep up with how fast our subconscious minds operate. The latter finding presents problems for any interpretation of false recognition, which implies that the briefly exposed context words are perceived without awareness.“Over the years there have been literally hundreds of studies.these studies show that considerable information capable of informing decisions and guiding actions is perceived even when observers do not experience any awareness of perceiving" However, in contrast with the findings of Jacoby and Whitehouse, both patterns of false recognition were associated with significant recognition memory for the context words. ![]() In addition, the combined results of Experiments 2 and 3 demonstrated that the exposure duration of the context words, and not the instructions to the subjects, is the primary factor determining which pattern of false recognition occurs. In Experiment 1, we replicated the critical qualitative difference across conditions reported by Jacoby and Whitehouse. When the context words were presented at longer exposure durations and subjects were informed of their presence, the opposite pattern of results occurred. When context words were briefly exposed and subjects were not informed of their presence, new words were called “old” more of ten if the context and test words were identical than if the context and test words were different. Jacoby and Whitehouse (1989) demonstrated that the probability of calling new test words “old” (i.e., false recognition) is biased by context words. ![]()
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