Question

Define and explain either the difference or absolute threshold.  Evaluate how subliminal stimulation would impact the threshold chosen (difference or absolute). Explain the significance of subliminal messages or "priming" to one of the following:

- Advertising (it must be subliminal)

- Health

- Illness

- Childrearing

- Claims of ESP

- Sensory acuity

- Another aspect of daily living of your choosing

Delineate any ethical concerns?

Answer 1

Absolute Threshold is the lowest level of stimulus that can be detected by the human senses like, touch, vision, hearing, smell and taste. For instance, when it is really quiet in the night, and you are chilling in the balcony with no hustle bustle on the streets, you may hear a faint sound of the honk of a ship or a train from a distance. It is very faint, yet detectable.

Subliminal Perception, is the presumed ability to perceive a stimulus that is below threshold for conscious experience. Subliminal perception assumes that, the stimulus is not detectable for a human conscious. An individual is unaware of it. However, subliminal messages are visually primed, which means that they don't enter our memory, however, you recall seeing it somewhere. The use of subliminal perception in adevertising was brought forth, in 1950's. It began in movie theatres, before the credits rolled out, there were apparently subliminal messages that were embedded like, 'drink cola' or 'eat popcorn'. Apparently, individuals who were visually primed by these messages were more likely to get popcorn to eat and cola to drink during the intermission. There is no substantiate proof which explains the phenomena of subliminal perception. However, visual priming or the ability to recognize seeing a message somewhere elicited a certain behaviour which was intended as the consequences of subliminal advertising on society.

The unintended consequences of subliminal advertising on society is backward masking. There was a case of suicide of two young men who were the followers of a band which wrote songs that had suicidal messages written backwards. The young men seemed to have perceived the subliminal message and committed suicide. However, the judge in the case dismissed the charged against the band as there was no substantial proof.