Subliminal Perception

The term subliminal is derived from the terms sub (below) and limen (threshold), and it refers to perception so subtle it cannot reach conscious awareness. Most of the research on subliminal perception is done on visual subliminal perception. For instance, one can flash words or pictures so quickly on a computer screen (generally faster than 10–15 milliseconds) that perceivers have the feeling they do not see anything at all. In other words, they are not consciously aware of the presented words or pictures. However, such visual stimuli are processed unconsciously, and they can have brief and subtle effects on our feeling and thinking. In addition, some research has been done on auditory subliminal perception. No reliable scientific evidence exists, however, for psychological effects of auditory ...