The Attribution and Discounting of Perceptual Fluency: Preliminary Tests of a Perceptual Fluency/Attributional Model of the Mere Exposure Effect

Abstract

Bornstein and D'Agostino (1990, 1992) hypothesized that the mere exposure effect results from a combination of two processes. First, an increase in perceptual fluency is induced by repeated exposure to a stimulus. Second, subjects attribute perceptual fluency effects to liking for a stimulus based on contextual cues provided by the experimenter. This paper describes two experiments that test predictions derived from the perceptual fluency/attributional model. In Experiment 1, the availability of information that allowed subjects to attribute perceptual fluency effects to the stimulus familarization procedure resulted in lower evaluative ratings of stimuli in a typical subliminal mere exposure effect experiment. In Experiment 2, the introduction of information that discouraged subjects from attributing perceptual fluency effects to the stimulus familiarization procedure resulted in more positive evaluative ratings of stimuli in a supraliminal mere exposure effect experiment. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed, and suggestions for future studies in this area are offered.