Separating science from myth in subliminal psychodynamic activation

This paper reviews subliminal psychodynamic activation (SPA). Eight common criticisms are described and evaluated: (a) SPA data analysis is too liberal; (b) there are enough nonsignificant unpublished SPA studies to offset those showing effects; (c) SPA studies are difficult to replicate; (d) the claims of SPA proponents rely on unpublished studies; (e) SPA stimuli are not really subliminal; (f) experimenter expectancy effects and/or demand characteristics can account for SPA effects; (g) the mediating events said to underlay SPA effects have never been evinced; and (h) alternative explanations for SPA effects are superior to the psychoanalytic ones typically offered. Theoretical and statistical analyses revealed that only the argument concerning mediating events has serious merit. The SPA stimulus for which the most support was found was Mommy and I Are One. Oedipal sanction stimuli were also found to yield reliable effects whereas Oedipal prohibition stimuli did not. Suggestions for future research are offered. Resistance to SPA findings are considered in Kunhian terms.

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