Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Subliminal Perception01:15

Subliminal Perception

Subliminal perception refers to the processing of sensory information that occurs below the level of conscious awareness. Researchers study subliminal perception by presenting a stimulus, such as a word or image, very quickly, typically around 50 milliseconds. This rapid presentation is often followed by another stimulus, such as a pattern of dots or lines, which blocks further mental processing of the initial stimulus. As a result, if participants cannot identify the initial stimulus better...
Cognitive Learning01:21

Cognitive Learning

Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
Subconsciousness and No Awareness01:15

Subconsciousness and No Awareness

The concept of subconscious awareness refers to the processing of information below the level of conscious thought, which significantly influences both behaviors and decisions. It is also known as waking subconscious awareness. This complex level of cognition operates without the direct awareness of the individual, facilitating rapid and simultaneous handling of multiple information streams.
An illustrative example of subconscious processing is its role in problem-solving. Often, individuals...
Problem-Solving01:29

Problem-Solving

Effective problem-solving consists of two steps: 1. identifying the problem and 2. selecting the appropriate problem-solving strategy (i.e., a plan of action used to find a solution). Humans use four problem-solving strategies:
Reason and Intuition01:37

Reason and Intuition

The human brain processes information for decision-making using one of two routes: an intuitive system and a rational system (Epstein, 1994; popularized by Kahneman, 2011 as System 1 and System 2, respectively). The intuitive system is quick, impulsive, and operates with minimal effort, relying on emotions or habits to provide cues for what to do next, while the rational system is logical, analytical, deliberate, and methodical. Research in neuropsychology suggests that the brain can only use...
Introspection01:29

Introspection

Introspection, long upheld as a reliable route to self-knowledge, involves examining one's thoughts, emotions, and mental processes. It underpins many psychological practices, from mindfulness meditation to psychotherapy and self-help strategies. However, empirical evidence challenges the accuracy of introspection as a means of understanding oneself.Limitations of Introspective InsightSeminal work by Nisbett and Wilson demonstrated that individuals are frequently unaware of the true causes...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A comparison of methods to elicit causal structure.

Frontiers in cognition·2026
Same author

Associative thinking as a lever for diagnostic creativity.

Diagnosis (Berlin, Germany)·2026
Same author

Creativity and diagnostic reasoning.

Diagnosis (Berlin, Germany)·2025
Same author

Gene expression dataset of the blood clam <i>Anadara kagoshimensis</i> in relation to anoxic stress.

Data in brief·2025
Same author

Hypoxia-induced changes in the gill and hepatopancreatic bacterial communities of the ark shell Anadara kagoshimensis.

Marine biotechnology (New York, N.Y.)·2025
Same author

Metabolic characteristics involved in the tolerance of bivalves to marine hypoxia: Verification by inter-and intraspecific comparisons of species with different hypoxia tolerance.

Marine pollution bulletin·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 14, 2026

Post-Movie Subliminal Measurement (PMSM), for Investigating Implicit Social Bias
09:03

Post-Movie Subliminal Measurement (PMSM), for Investigating Implicit Social Bias

Published on: February 29, 2020

Effects of subliminal hints on insight problem solving.

Masasi Hattori1, Steven A Sloman, Ryo Orita

  • 1Department of Psychology, Ritsumeikan University, 56-1 Toji-in Kitamachi, Kita-ku, Kyoto 603-8577, Japan. hat@lt.ritsumei.ac.jp

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|February 9, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Subliminal hints in movies improved insight problem-solving rates and methods for participants unaware of the hint. This suggests subliminal priming can influence cognitive processes in problem-solving tasks.

More Related Videos

Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans
12:09

Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans

Published on: March 19, 2014

Method for Simultaneous fMRI/EEG Data Collection during a Focused Attention Suggestion for Differential Thermal Sensation
06:33

Method for Simultaneous fMRI/EEG Data Collection during a Focused Attention Suggestion for Differential Thermal Sensation

Published on: January 5, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 14, 2026

Post-Movie Subliminal Measurement (PMSM), for Investigating Implicit Social Bias
09:03

Post-Movie Subliminal Measurement (PMSM), for Investigating Implicit Social Bias

Published on: February 29, 2020

Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans
12:09

Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans

Published on: March 19, 2014

Method for Simultaneous fMRI/EEG Data Collection during a Focused Attention Suggestion for Differential Thermal Sensation
06:33

Method for Simultaneous fMRI/EEG Data Collection during a Focused Attention Suggestion for Differential Thermal Sensation

Published on: January 5, 2014

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Insight problem solving is a complex cognitive process.
  • The role of unconscious processing, such as subliminal priming, in problem-solving remains an area of active research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of subliminal hints presented via a brief movie on insight problem-solving.
  • To examine whether unawareness of the hint influences its impact on problem-solving success and strategy.

Main Methods:

  • Two experiments involved 509 participants solving insight problems (radiation, nine-dot).
  • A third experiment with 80 participants used a novel technique to test subliminal priming on the 10-coin problem.
  • Participants were exposed to a 1-minute movie with or without a subliminal hint.

Main Results:

  • Participants unaware of the subliminal hint showed increased solution rates for insight problems.
  • The subliminal hint influenced the problem-solving strategies employed by participants.
  • In the 10-coin problem, the subliminal hint facilitated solutions and reduced solution time.

Conclusions:

  • Subliminal priming can significantly enhance insight problem-solving performance, even when individuals are not consciously aware of the hint.
  • These findings have implications for understanding cognitive mechanisms underlying insight and for developing new theoretical frameworks in problem-solving research.