In this bachelor thesis, based on the findings by Karremans, Stroebe, and Claus (2006), the effectiveness of subliminal cues on choice behavior was transposed to the online search environment. To give a clear answer for this matter, possibilities but also dangers of online information seeking and subliminal perception have been investigated.
Subliminal stimuli seem to have great potential for this matter since there is much similarity (Strahan, Spencer, and Zanna, 2002) between the factors that make subliminal stimuli effective and the online search environment (i.e. need for information and goal relevance).
An online survey was conducted trying to investigate that goal priming effects subsequent evaluation, but only when certain conditions interact with persons’ attitudes. Half of 98 participants were subliminally primed with the Google ad-icon “Anzeige” and subsequently evaluate on online advertisement and search engines. The results indicated that priming positively influences the evaluation on online advertisement and search engines, regardless of participants’ attitudes towards online search.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 Background on the topic
1.2 Purpose of the study
2 Theoretical Framework
2.1 Subliminal Advertising
2.1.1 First Approaches
2.1.2 Definition of Subliminal Advertisement
2.2 Subliminal Perception
2.2.1 Research Background
2.2.2 Thresholds perspectives
2.2.3 Subliminal Stimuli
2.2.4 Introspective Measurements
2.2.5 The Masked Prime Paradigm
2.2.6 Effects of Subliminal Messages
2.3 Information Search
2.4 Evaluation on Google Search Result Pages
2.5 Hypothesis
3 Methodology
3.1 Design
3.2 Sample
3.3 Materials
3.4 Procedure
3.4.1 Recipient Variables
3.4.2 Independent Variable
3.4.3 Dependent Variables
3.5 Confounding Variables
4 Results
4.1 Descriptive Statistics
4.2 Inferential statistics
5 Discussion
5.1 Discussion of Results
5.2 General Discussion
Research Objectives and Themes
The main goal of this study is to examine whether subliminal cues, specifically the Google ad-icon "Anzeige", can influence users' evaluation of online search engines and online advertisements. The thesis aims to transpose findings from previous subliminal priming research into the online search environment to determine if goal relevance acts as a condition for the effectiveness of subliminal stimuli on user perception and choice behavior.
- Application of the masked prime paradigm to online search environments.
- Evaluation of Google Search Result Pages (SERPs) and their impact on consumer choices.
- Role of goal relevance and personal attitudes in subliminal perception.
- Analysis of cognitive and emotional responses to subliminally primed advertisement.
Excerpt from the Book
2.2.5 The Masked Prime Paradigm
The Masked Priming Paradigm was part of the current research (see 3.4) and might be interesting to understand. The development of the masked priming task reveals very significant differences between how information is processed consciously and how it is processed non-consciously (Forster and Davis, 1984). In his detailed and intensively argued criticism of subconsciousness processing methods, Holender (1986) writes that the visually masked method is (compared e.g. to introspective measurements) the best method to prove strong evidence for the future. Thus, the last twenty years seem to confirm Holender’s presumption because the masked form of priming has been widely investigated (Cheesman and Merikle, 1985; Forster and Davis, 1984; Marcel, 1983).
Breitmeyer and Ögmen (2006) suggest that subliminal presentation is often achieved by masking, a method whereby the subjective visibility of a stimulus is reduced or eliminated by the presentation, in close “spatial and temporal contiguity, of other stimuli acting as masks’” (Dehaene and Changeux, 2011, p. 211). Kouider and Dehaene (2007) recently provided an extensive historical overview of the literature on masked priming and amplify that masked stimuli are frequently used to induce subliminal priming, the facilitation of the processing of a visible target by the prior presentation of an identical or related subliminal prime. Thus, subliminal exposure can also be achieved with threshold stimuli whereby the effect or energy of a stimulus is progressively reduced until its presence is unnoticeable (Dehaene and Changeux, 2011). But how does the masked priming method work?
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter provides the background on search engine usage and sets the purpose for investigating whether subliminal cues affect user behavior in an online search context.
2 Theoretical Framework: This section reviews literature on subliminal advertising, subliminal perception, information-seeking behavior, and how search result pages influence user evaluations.
3 Methodology: This chapter outlines the design, sample demographics, and the experimental procedure, including how the online survey and the masked priming task were structured.
4 Results: This chapter presents the descriptive statistics and the outcomes of the hierarchical regression models used to analyze the collected data.
5 Discussion: This section interprets the study's findings in light of previous research and acknowledges the technical limitations that occurred during the experiment.
Keywords
Subliminal Priming, Online Advertisement, Google Search Results, Information Seeking Behavior, Masked Prime Paradigm, Consumer Choice, Goal Relevance, Search Engine Optimization, User Interface, Cognitive Evaluation, Experimental Psychology, Digital Marketing, Behavioral Change, Online Survey, Perception Without Awareness
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research investigates whether subliminal cues, specifically the "Anzeige" ad-icon on Google search results, influence how users evaluate online search engines and advertisements.
What are the primary themes covered?
The work explores subliminal perception, user motivation in information seeking, the design of search engine result pages, and the impact of brand priming on consumer attitudes.
What is the main research question or goal?
The goal is to determine if subliminal priming can influence participants' subsequent evaluation of online advertisements, particularly when those participants have a positive attitude toward health-related online searches.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The study uses a quasi-experimental online survey design involving a masked priming task and hierarchical regression analysis to measure the influence of the independent variable (priming condition) on dependent variables.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body covers historical approaches to subliminal advertising, cognitive mechanisms of subliminal perception, models of information-seeking behavior, and the experimental design including materials used for the priming task.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is best characterized by terms such as Subliminal Priming, Online Advertisement, Information Seeking Behavior, and Consumer Choice.
Why was the "Anzeige" icon used as the prime?
The "Anzeige" icon was selected to replicate the effect of specific visual brand or ad markers on Google, as these icons are frequently encountered by users during their online information search.
How does goal relevance affect the results?
Drawing on the work of Karremans et al., the study hypothesized that subliminal priming is more effective when the stimulus corresponds to a user's current goal or motivational state, such as health-related information needs.
- Citation du texte
- Eyüp Aksoy (Auteur), 2015, The Effects of Subliminal Cues on Information Seeking and Evaluation of Google Search Results, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/306998
