| Abstract: | The history of subliminal research consists of cycles during which investigators report a subliminal finding, others fail to replicate it, but, nevertheless, the finding is publicized and achieves some degree of acceptance among lay audiences. Such cycles have been permitted by (a) inadequately standardized empirical criteria for subliminal effects and (b) lack of consensus on theories of unconscious processes. Recent advances in methods have yielded some replicable subliminal effects and new models of unconscious processes have abandoned some of the controversial motivational assumptions of past perspectives. Nevertheless, cautious interpretation of this recent work maintains the wisdom of a skeptical appraisal of the potential for productive marketing applications. |
