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Mere Exposure and Retrieval
Home Definition Background Zajonc's Research Subliminal Mere Exposure
Mere Exposure and Advertising Subliminal Advertising Limitations and Future Research
There are two types of memory recognition: familiarity and retrieval. Familiarity is a result of the effects of mere exposure. Familiarity makes objects stand out from others because the objects are perceived as being recognized by the observer. Familiarity is automatic and does not require much thinking (Vanhuele, 1995).
For example, when a consumer peruses the aisles of a grocery store, trying to buy a carton of milk, brand familiarity may come into play. If the consumer does not have a favorite brand and does not want to spend much time debating which milk brand to buy, he or she may purchase the first brand that jumps out to him or her. Thus, the consumer purchases the brand that is most familiar, without thinking hard about the purchasing decision.
Retrieval, on the other hand, is a function of long term memory. Recovering stored information within a person's memory, causing the person to realize why the object appears familiar, is characteristic of retrieval. Thus, it requires a significant amount of cognitive processing (Vanhuele, 1995).
For example, when a person is in a grocery store buying a carton of milk and remembers an advertisement he or she saw for a particular brand of milk, a retrieval in the memory may have taken place. The person retrieves all the information he or she remembers from the ad, and if it is positive, the retrieved information may help the person make a purchasing decision. In this case, a significant amount of cognitive processing occurs, helping the individual buy a certain milk brand.
Mere Exposure and Self-Acceptance
Zajonc's theory of mere exposure has been proved when the initial reaction to the stimulus was neutral or positive. However, when the initial reaction is negative, repeated exposures do not form attractions. In fact, they may lead to more negative evaluations (Willis, 2001).
The relation of mere exposure and self-acceptance was studied by Frank N. Willis and Scott J. Brown. In an experiment, they used people with either high or low scores on a self-esteem scale (Willis, 2001).
These human subjects were shown two photographs (one being a mirror image) of themselves and asked which of the photos they liked better. People with higher self-esteems picked the mirror image while those with lower self-esteems tended to pick the other photographs (Willis, 2001).
This experiment proved that those with low self-esteems often reject the familiar images of themselves while those with high self-esteems often pick the more familiar images. Thus, it can be said that exposure to positive stimuli increases the positive attitude toward that stimuli. Conversely, exposure to negative stimuli increases the negative attitude toward that stimuli (Willis, 2001).
Mere Exposure and Mood
Experiments conducted by Robert Zajonc and his colleagues show that repeated exposures may lift up the tonic mood states of individuals. This elevated mood may then become associated with any stimulus in the immediate surroundings of the individuals. If for any reason a given experience causes a positive affective judgment on a particular stimulus, a person's overall mood is also likely to become elevated (Monohan et al., 2000).
In one experiment, some participants were subliminally exposed to a series of 25 different stimuli. Other participants were exposed to 5 stimuli that were each repeated five times in a random sequence. After this initial exposure phase, the participants' overall tonic mood states were assessed, with no reference to the previously flashed stimuli (Monohan et al., 2000).
Mere Exposure and Overexposure
Despite the substantial societal implications of the mere exposure effect, little work has been done to test the mere exposure effect on meaningful stimuli as public issues, political candidates, and advertised products. However, policy makers in political and marketing areas still design programs of repeated exposure of their products through billboards, media spots, etc. (Miller, 2001).
Some studies have shown a curvilinear function which indicates a larger number of exposures lowers the evaluative ratings of the exposed stimuli. Zajonc has suggested that this function comes from psychological reactance. Psychological reactance is a boomerang effect resulting in a negative evaluation as a reaction to a perceived threat of freedom. As a result, persuasive manipulations may cause people to react negatively because they feel as if their freedoms have been violated (Miller, 2001).
Knowledge of the longevity of reactance is important. For example, if a massive campaign is thought to be necessary to acquaint people with an unfamiliar political issue or candidate, overexposure effects and their persistence are important in a campaign strategy. An experiment conducted by Richard L. Miller, professor of psychology at Georgetown University, helps explain the relationship between mere exposure and the persistence of psychological reactance and their effects on attitude enhancement (Miller, 2001).
If effects of reactance are merely temporary, then a long term, massive exposure is reasonable. On the other hand, if the effects of reactance are expected to last longer, then moderate exposure, in order to minimize reactance arousal, would be practical. In addition, a massive exposure followed by a time of no exposure, in order for reactance to dissolve, would also be a good strategy (Miller, 2001).
In relation to advertising, this experiment shows that exposure to a persuasive message, whether it is in the form of a billboard, bumper sticker, commercial, etc., should be adequate to familiarize the target audience. However, it should not be too great of an exposure that the audience becomes disinterested in the message (Miller, 2001).
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