Some Comments and Data on the Partial Cue Controversy and other Matters Relevant to Investigations of Subliminal Phenomena

Abstract

In response to a recent article by Guthrie and Wiener (1966) data and logical considerations are presented which support the following conclusions.( 1 ) For a number of recent studies of subliminal phenomena, the most parsimonious explanation for positive results is one implicating the subliminal registration of content and, contrary to the claim oE Guthrie and Wiener, not one relating to structural cues in awareness.( 2 ) Also contrary to their claim, Guthrie and Wiener's data provide little support for the view that even in the early investigation of Eagle ( 1 9 5 9 ) , Ss were responding to parrial cues.( 3 ) Guthrie and Wiener's failure to obtain a content effect in their own experiment was most likely the result of the level at which their stimuli were exposed and/or their not taking into account subject variables that are relevant to the question of whether a subliminal effect can be demonstrated.

Psychoanalytic theory: "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."

“…For an extended discussion of how our experimental results support the concept of subliminal registration more strictly denned, seeSilverman and Spiro (1967) andSilverman (1968). Also, seeKaye's (1975) findings in which subliminal psychodynamic effects were found with the most rigorous signal-detection methods used to rule out the influence of partial cues.…”

An experimental study of aspects of the psychoanalytic theory of male homosexuality.

“…All maintained that they had not seen any content and that they usually based their discriminations on whatever slight differences they could find in the size or the intensity of the flashes. For extended discussions of how the results from our experiments could not be attributed to partial cues, see Silverman and Spiro (1967) and Silverman (1968). significantly differentiated the symbiotic from the control condition: a percentage of responses rated as reflecting "castration anxiety"; a percentage of responses rated as reflecting "superego anxiety" (i.e., guilt); the total number of responses, this considered as an indicator of freedom from defensive inhibition.…”

The further use of the subliminal psychodynamic activation method for the experimental study of the clinical theory of psychoanalysis: On the specificity of the relationship between symptoms and unconscious conflicts.

“…It also can be noted that when we compared the results in the current experiments for the small group of discriminators with the much larger group of subjects who were not able to discriminate between the stimuli, the findings for the former were no more in keeping with our hypotheses than those of the latter. For extended discussions of how the results for our experiments could not be attributed to partial cues, see Silverman and Spiro (1967) and Silverman (1968). conditions.…”