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Subliminal Messages Might Actually Work
GrumpySimon writes "New research indicates that subliminal messages may actually work. In a paper titled Attentional Load Modulates Responses of Human Primary Visual Cortex to Invisible Stimuli, Bahrani et al. demonstrate that even though stimuli may not be available to consciousness, they are processed by the visual cortex. While I'm sure that marketing agencies all over the world are rubbing their hands in glee at this news, the authors report that there's no evidence that this can make people buy things against their will. So with any luck the use of subliminal messages in advertising will remain an urban legend."
I can garauntee that they don't work well in television. At least, not on me. Because, even if they're only 1 frame, I can see them at 24fps. And it greatly annoys me when things flicker on the screen. I might not be able to tell what's flickering there (depending on the complexity of the image), but I promise you I will find out (record, pause, learn). And when I do, and it's some total BS thought up by some ad company, I can further promise you I will be purposefully not buying their product.
Nope, stick with good old quality writing and you'll get my interest. Then I'll at least look into your product and consider buying it. Otherwise, good luck.
TLF
I do not respond to cowards. Especially anonymous ones.
What does that even mean?
Just plain old advertising could be said to make people "buy things against their will", if it tips the balance from "slightly inclined to not purchase" to "slightly inclined to purchase".
Speaking in such black and white terms is misleading.
!yvaN eht nioJ
[ Ted walks into a bar with Mr. Subliminal ]
Mr. Subliminal: Two beers, please.
Ted: I just can't get the hang of it..
Mr. Subliminal: That's because it's new to you. Believe me, Ted, subliminal advertising can be very, very effective.
Bartender: Alright, gentlemen, here's your beers.
Mr. Subliminal: Thanks, partner - on the house - that was quick - on the house - what do we owe you?
Bartender: Uh.. forget about it - on the house!
Mr. Subliminal: Oh? Thank you very much! Hey.. you know something - free cash - this is a real classy place - free cash - first time we've been here.
Bartender: Oh, I'm glad you like it. I've been working here for years.
Mr. Subliminal: Oh, no kidding- free cash - that's great!
Bartender: [ opens cash register and drops cash on the counter ] Here ya go.
Mr. Subliminal: What's this for?
Bartender: It's free cash, take it.
Ted: [ chuckles ] This is a real nice place!
Mr. Subliminal: No, really - free cash - we can't take this - your wallet - I mean, what would we do with it?
Bartender: Well, don't be ridiculous! [ drops his wallet on the counter ] Here, you take my wallet, you can put it in there!
Mr. Subliminal: Well, okay, if you insist! [ takes wallet, turns to Ted ] You see?
Ted: See what?
Mr. Subliminal: [ spots an attractive Woman on the next barstool ] Hi! Come here often?
Woman: [ laughs ] Oh, come on. That's the oldest line in the book.
Mr. Subliminal: Hey, sorry if I was out of line - lonely - I just thought that you might - lonely - you know, like to talk.
Woman: Well.. I am feeling a little.. lonely. It's just that I'm so sick and tired of guys hitting on me all the time, you know?
Mr. Subliminal: Oh, believe me - hot sex - I'm not hitting on you - hot sex - I just can, you know, understand that lonely feeling!
Woman: [ nods ] You do, don't you?
Mr. Subliminal: Sure do.
Woman: You seem like a very sensitive man.
Mr. Subliminal: Well..
Woman: And.. sexy, too! [ giggles ]
Mr. Subliminal: [ turns and whispers to Ted ] You gonna get the hang of it?
Ted: Uh.. yeah..
Mr. Subliminal: [ to Woman ] The name's Phil, Phil Maloney - kiss me - and it's a real plasure meeting you - kiss me - a real pleasure!
Woman: [ quickly jumps in and kisses him ]
Mr. Subliminal: [ catches his breath ] What was that for - your place - I mean, that was nice - your place - I mean, and you are..?
Woman: I'm Wanda! What do you say we go to my place?
Mr. Subliminal: Oh, great!
Woman: It's a five-story walk-up, I hope you don't mind..
Mr. Subliminal: Mind? - hotel - No, I don't mind - luxury hotel - maybe I'll lose some weight - your treat - [ laughs ].
Woman: Better yet - how about we go away to a luxury hotel - I'll pay! How about that?
Mr. Subliminal: Great idea - horny - there's one right around the corner - handcuffs - let's go!
Woman: Okay, let's go!
Mr. Subliminal: Okay, then - spank me - let's go1
[ they rush out of the bar ]
[ a beautiful woman sits next to Ted ]
Ted: Ahhhhh, yeah, I think I'm beginning to see.. [ notices the woman next to him ] Yeah..
Policeman: [ enters bar ] Alright! Who owns the white volvo out front?
Ted: Uh.. that's mine, Officer. Is there a problem?
Policeman: Yeah, it's a $50 problem. You parked in front of a fire hydrant. Let me see your license.
Ted: Uh.. oh, yeah, sure, Officer.. Uh.. to be honest, Officer - HOT SEX! - I didn't see the hydrant - TIE ME UP! - it was dark.
Policeman: What did you say?
Ted: I said - HOT SEX! - I didn't see the hydrant - SPANK ME! - it was dark.
Policeman: Hot sex? Spank me? Alright, pervert, come on, you're going downtown! [ drags Ted away ]
Ted: Uh, no, Officer, please - KISS ME! Officer, no - KISS ME! Officer, no - HORNY! Please - YOUR PLACE! Officer..
[ fade out ]
Nah, I don't see how that could be. However, this article was unusually good for some reason. I think I'm going to subscribe to Slashdot.
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
SO what the article is saying is that attentional load
MODulates attentional responses to
MEssage that are carrying an embedded message. I will not put
UP with these shenanigans that are calcualated to
INCITE us make a
FOOL of ourselves.
Recycle PCs and build a wireless community network www.hillsborough.org.nz
How come this article gets 5% shorter when I turn on my browser's ad filter?
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
hanG on there folks, I haVe my doubts ovEr such claiMs, howEver Mildly innOceNt thEY seem.
They rally you like industrial ninjas use xeroxes.
Well I just read the article and it appears that the main point of this paper is that attention affects the processing of unconscious, invisible visual stimuli.
What they did was to have a task in central vision that was either easy (not requiring much attention) or hard (requiring lots of attention). At the same time, invisible pictures were flashed in the periphery (made invisible by masking). Looking at the voxels in visual cortex which correspond to the locations of the invisible, peripheral stimuli, they found greater activity in easy mode than in hard mode. In other words, when the central visual task required lots of attention, the invisible stimuli in the periphery activated visual cortex more weakly.
To quote the article "The present findings are the first to show that neural processes involved in the retinotopic registration of stimulus presence in V1 depend on availability of attentional capacity, even when they do not invoke any conscious experience. These findings challenge previous suggestions that attention and awareness are one and the same."
This isn't exactly new information. It's been widely available for decades that yes, in fact, you do register subliminal messages. But it's also been proven time and again, that they have a statistically insignificant effect on your desires, and CERTAINLY not enough to change your opinions.
If I remember my college psych classes properly, subliminal messages to buy a product may work to some degree, but obvious ads to buy a product work far better. There's lots of studies on the effectiveness of advertising, and not very many on the effectiveness of subliminal messages.
I think Greenwald is the author I was thinking of, but some of these other articles may be useful.
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