This study investigated Zajonc’s hypothesized link between the mere exposure effect and classical conditioning. In the first part of the experiment, participants were presented a photograph of a person. Each photograph was followed by a presentation of an emotionally positive image, a neutral image, a negative image, or a blank screen. Then, participants were asked to rate the faces presented the first part of the experiment, as well as some novel portraits, on a 6-point Likert scale. Faces that had been presented previously differed significantly from faces not previously seen. However, only faces in the 20 Repetitions + Positive Image condition were rated significantly higher than faces in the new condition. These results suggest some support for Zajonc’s hypothesis because only the strongest positive associations led to a mere exposure effect, but this conclusion must be considered carefully given the mixed statistical support
