In Several Studies, People Have Been Given Subliminal Audiotapes That

Multiple Choice

In several studies, people have been given subliminal audiotapes that had one kind of subliminal message, but people were told to expect a different one. (For example, the tapes might be about self-esteem, but people would be told that the tapes suggested better memory.) What is the usual outcome of such studies?

A) People report deteriorations in both the behavior mentioned on the tapes and the behavior they were told to expect.
B) People report improvements in whatever behavior the tapes actual mention; their expectations were unimportant.
C) People report improvement in what they expected the tapes to improve, but not in what the tapes were actually saying.
D) People report improvements in some other aspect of behavior, different from both the actual content of the tapes and their expectations.