Further evidence for unconscious learning: preliminary support for the conditioning of facial EMG to subliminal stimuli.
This study investigated the predictive validity of facial electromyograms (EMGs) in a subliminal conditioning paradigm. Two schematic faces (pleasant; CS- and unpleasant; CS+), were presented to eight right-handed males during supraliminal pre- and postconditioning phases. Subliminal conditioning consisted of 36 energy-masked presentations of each face pairing the CS+ with an aversive shock 800 ms poststimulus. A forced-choice recognition task established that the energy mask effectively precluded conscious recognition of stimuli. For the obicularis oculi and corrugator EMGs, significant face x condition interactions were found at 20-100 ms and 400-792 ms poststimulus. The results demonstrate the existence of an expressive motoric response related to affect operating in response to a learned but unconscious event. Subjects were not aware of a contingency between the CS+ and the US, suggesting emotional contingencies can be unconsciously acquired.
Department of Psychiatry, MCP Hahnemann School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19129-4102, USA. bunce@auhs.edu
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Bunce
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Bernat
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Wong
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Shevrin
D000328:Adult; D003214:Conditioning, Classical; D004576:Electromyography / Q000379:methods*; D005145:Face / Q000502:physiology*; D005149:Facial Expression; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013359:Sublimation, Psychological; D014473:Unconscious, Psychology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology