Week 3 Subliminal Messages

I am now starting my third attempt at researching subliminal messaging. I honestly dont remember what I typed in as the keyword but I came across a good site. At first I didn't really want to read through it because it was about 8 pages of ALL writing. But after glancing through it, I realized that it actually had some good information. The author states that the subconscious mind cannot cause behavior contrary to a person's subconscious motives, drives and values. In short, a subliminal message cannot force anyone go do anything they wouldn't want to do" ("Subliminal Message").

These hidden messages are everywhere and are spreading farther than before. In the 60's they would flash certain words on a tv screen or hide indecent pictures in ads. Now, "Subliminal advertising has gone mainstream - fake news, mind control scripts, propaganda and stealth voicemail are in wide use by corporations, government bodies, and industry groups." (Howard) One site even claims that how supermarkets place popular items like milk in the back of the store is subliminal persuasion. It makes the shopper go through the store and pass displays which usually leads them to buy more than what they came for.

I wasn't sure of where else to search until I remebered the infotrac database site that Mr. Malley showed.Scientists at University College of London performed an experiment on 7 people wearing specially fitted glasses. One of the lens was shown faint pictures of simple household objects and the other lens was subjected to flashing lights which cancelled out any awareness of what the people were actually seeing. "The UCL experiment found that the images of objects were being registered in the primary visual cortex, the part of the brain which interprets what the eyes see. While the experiment subjects could not recall anything they had seen, parts of the visual cortex "lit up" as the household items were displayed." ("Subliminal ads shown to work")

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"Subliminal ads 'shown to work'." The Scotsman (Edinburgh, Scotland) (March 9, 2007): 9. Custom Newspapers.. Gale. McKinley High School. 6 May 2008
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Howard, Martin. "10 Disturbing Trends in Subliminal Advertising." Mind Power News 02 05 2008 .

"Subliminal Message." sleeplearning.com 24 04 2008 . http://www.sleeplearning.com/html/subliminal_message.htm