Abstract

Over two decades of research on the mere-exposure effect has yet to produce a definitive theory. This thesis examines this effect from the perspective of implicit-memory research, and proposes a connection between these two phenomena. The theoretical basis for this connection is discussed, and three experiments were conducted to explore this possibility. These experiments attempted to connect a standard mere-exposure experiment with one type of implicit memory paradigm. While none of the experiments succeeded in showing an interaction between the implicit-memory and mere-exposure effects, neither did they succeed in producing the mere-exposure effect itself. Possible reasons for this failure, and its implications on our hypothesized connection, are discussed.