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According to L. H. Silverman (1985), subliminal activation experiments document a universal wish for symbioticlike merger. A recent meta-analysis (R. A. Hardaway, 1990) was consistent with this proposition in revealing more adaptive behavior (Cohen's d = .41) after stimulation with Mommy and I Are One (MIO; L. H. Silverman, F. M. Lachman, & R. H. Milich, 1982) than after neutral control phrases. However, indications are that positive effects are not universal. On the basis of mood being a possible mediator of MIO effects, the authors conducted an experiment in which 10 women given a high “dose” of MIO were compared with 10 others given a neutral control stimulus. Effects on mood were gauged with a word selection task. In a second experiment with new participants, mood was assessed by means of early childhood memories. These experiments produced negative effects (Cohen's ds = −.40 and −.48) that were significantly different from the previous positive estimate (.41). Defense activity may explain why negative outcomes are not identified when crude or delayed outcome measures are used.
Staffan Sohlberg, PhD, Poa Samuelberg, MSc, Yvonne Sidén, BA, and Caroline Thörn, MSc, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Staffan Sohlberg, PhD, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, P.O. Box 1225, S-751 42 Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic mail may be sent via Internet to staffan.sohlberg@psyk.uu.se.