Abstract
1957, East cost of the United States of America in New Jersey, a vanguardist advertiser reported that he managed to increase the sales of Coca-cola and pop-corns in the Fort Lee's cinema. He said to have display, during six weeks the short sentences “Drink Coca-cola” and “Hungry? Eat pop corn” every five seconds on the movie Picnic from Joshua Logan. But the broadcasting length is so short (around 3 milliseconds) that people cannot see it. This case, widely repeated in the American press, gave rise to a lot of fantasies.
“Subliminal advertising”– as it has been called by James Vicary– it will lead to the control of people's thinking and wishes? What about our free reason? Are going to become victim of manipulation? The press and the public didn't stop asking questions to scientist on this issue. That's how the Fort Lee's story (which was revealed being a hoax few years later) encouraged scientists to study the phenomenon of subliminal perception further. Will they confirm its effects? Will they, on the contrary, refute this hypothesis? Are they going to be unanimous? What says the law regarding this issue?
These are some of the questions to which we will try to answer by considering some of the latest scientific achievements and research on this phenomenon. Subliminal perception can also be called “perception without awareness” or “subliminal images” (more used by media and public).
