Effect of Extreme Exposure Frequencies on Different Affective Ratings of Stimuli

Abstract

Two experiments examined the effects of extreme number of exposures on reactions to stimuli rated on several dimensions. The first experiment gave a positive monotone relationship between affective ratings on the GOOD-BAD scale and the frequency of stimulus exposure, with frequencies as high as 243. The second experiment obtained ratings for the same exposure frequencies on four scales, some of which measured affinitive approach while others measured exploratory approach reactions. The former tended to show an increase with frequency of exposure and the latter a decrease. Theoretical analysis attempted to reconcile experimental evidence which indicates increasing affect with increasing exposure and evidence for an inverted-U relationship.