The Questioning of Subliminal Messaging

Overview

Objectives/Goals The objective of this project was to test which method of subliminal messaging is more effective in humans; audio or visual. I believed that audio stimulus containing subliminal messages would have more influence or response than visual stimulus containing subliminal messages on a test group of adults. Methods/Materials A test group of 20 adults, 10 males and 10 females, in the age range of 35-45 years old gave informed consent for exposure to subliminal messaging in both audio and visual formats. Each test subject listened to an audio stimulus with subliminal messages focused on enjoying housework for 15 minutes each day over a period of 5 days. All test subjects also watched a video stimulus containing subliminal messages that focused on becoming a better dancer for 15 minutes each day over the same 5 days. Both the audio and visual stimulus contained images or sounds from nature with the subliminal messages added to them. The test subjects were directed to expose themselves to this material in a quiet, comfortable room while in a sitting position 30 minutes prior to bedtime. Each test subject on each of the 5 days recorded responses to the stimuli on a non-biased survey. Results The results of my experiment showed that 45% of the test subjects responded to or were influenced by the audio stimulus, but only 10% responded to the visual stimulus. 45% of the test subjects recorded no response to either stimulus. Conclusions/Discussion According to my results, my hypothesis was supported. This type of testing is important because many people are looking for more natural ways to change bad habits, raise self-esteem, or improve mental and physical health without the side effects that can be associated with the use of drugs and medications. My data supports the idea that such change can be achieved with the use of subliminal messaging. My testing and research raised new questions for me about different learning styles in humans, which lead me to further my experiment by investigating the learning styles of my test subjects to see if there might be a relationship between one's learning style and the recognition of the subliminal messages. My investigation did not confirm such a relationship, but opens the door for further research in this area.

Competition history

• CSEF 2009 Cognitive Science (Junior Division Only) · Entry J0623

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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