Subliminal stimuli (English pronunciation: /sʌbˈlɪmənl/, literally "below threshold"), contrary to supraliminal stimuli or above threshold, are any sensory stimulation below an individual's absolute threshold In neuroscience and psychophysics, an absolute threshold is the smallest detectable level of a stimulus. For example, in an experiment on sound detection, researchers may present a sound with varying levels of volume. The smallest level that a participant is able to hear is the absolute threshold for conscious perception In philosophy, and psychology/cognitive sciences, perception is the process of attaining awareness or understanding of sensory information. The word "perception" comes from the Latin words perceptio, percipio, and means "receiving, collecting, action of taking possession, apprehension with the mind or senses.". Visual stimuli may be quickly flashed before an individual may process them, or flashed and then masked, thereby interrupting the processing. Audio stimuli may be played below audible volumes, similarly masked by other stimuli, or recorded backwards in a process called backmasking Backmasking is a recording technique in which a sound or message is recorded backward onto a track that is meant to be played forward. Backmasking is a deliberate process, whereas a message found through phonetic reversal may be unintentional. Introduced in 1897, the concept became controversial as subliminal messages in 1957 when marketing practitioners claimed its potential use in persuasion. Subsequent scientific research, however, has been unable to replicate most of these marketing claims beyond a mere placebo effect.
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