托福口语 Task 3

The mere exposure effect is a psychological phenomenon where people develop a preference for things merely because they are familiar with them. This effect occurs even when the initial exposure is subliminal or without conscious awareness. In social psychology, it explains why repeated contact with a person, object, or idea often leads to increased liking, assuming the initial experience is neutral or positive. The effect has been demonstrated in various contexts, from advertising to interpersonal relationships, and is considered a fundamental principle in understanding human preference formation.

Professor: Let me give you a classic example from a study. Researchers showed participants a series of abstract shapes on a screen. Each shape appeared multiple times, but for very brief durations—so brief that participants couldn't consciously recognize them. Later, when shown pairs of shapes—one familiar and one new—participants consistently rated the familiar shapes as more pleasant, even though they had no idea they had seen them before. This demonstrates the mere exposure effect: familiarity, even without awareness, bred liking. The same principle applies to music. When people hear a new song several times, they often start to like it more, even if they didn't notice it initially. So repeated exposure, even at a subconscious level, can shape our preferences.