Exploring the feasibility of subliminal priming on smartphones

Charlie Pinder, Jo Vermeulen, Benjamin R. Cowan, Russell Beale, Robert J. Hendley

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

7 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Subliminal priming has the potential to influence people's attitudes and behaviour, making them prefer certain choices over others. Yet little research has explored its feasibility on smartphones, even though the global popularity and increasing use of smartphones has spurred interest in mobile behaviour change interventions. This paper addresses technical, ethical and design issues in delivering mobile subliminal priming. We present three explorations of the technique: a technical feasibility study, and two participant studies. A pilot study (n=34) explored subliminal goal priming in-the-wild over 1 week, while a semi-controlled study (n=101) explored the immediate effect of subliminal priming on 3 different types of stimuli. We found that although subliminal priming is technically possible on smartphones, there is limited evidence of impact on changes in how much stimuli are preferred by users, with inconsistent effects across stimuli types. We discuss the implications of our results and directions for future research.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 19th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services, MobileHCI 2017
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Number of pages15
ISBN (Electronic)9781450350754
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 4 Sept 2017
Event19th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services, MobileHCI 2017 - Vienna, Austria
Duration: 4 Sept 20177 Sept 2017

Conference

Conference19th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services, MobileHCI 2017
Country/TerritoryAustria
CityVienna
Period4/09/177/09/17

Keywords

  • Mere exposure effect
  • Mobile
  • Nonconscious behaviour change technology
  • Smartphones
  • Subliminal priming

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Computer Networks and Communications
  • Information Systems
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Software

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