The influence of suggestion on the classic “Mere Exposure” effect

There is evidence to suggest that the perceived attractiveness of a stimulus can be increased either by mere exposure to that stimulus or by making a positive suggestion regarding the stimulus. Participants received 1 of 3 suggestions (the stimuli are highly attractive, the stimuli are highly unattractive, or no suggestion) followed by different levels of repeated exposure (0, 1, 10, or 20 exposures) to photographs of moderately attractive college-aged women. Stimuli were presented for 50 milliseconds each and participants were asked to rate each image on a 10-point scale for their perceived attractiveness. The mere exposure effect was replicated; as exposure increased, so did attractiveness ratings of the stimuli. No main effect of suggestion was found. Theoretical implications are discussed.