Activating transference without consciousness: Using significant-other representations to go beyond what is subliminally given

Two studies examined nonconscious transference in social perception, define d as inferences about a new person based on a subliminally triggered signif icant-other representation (e.g., S. M. Andersen gr S. W. Cole, 1990). In a nomothetic experimental paradigm involving idiographic stimuli, participan ts believed they were playing a computer game with another participant whil e exposed to subliminal descriptors from either their own, or a yoked parti cipant's, significant other. In an impression-rating task, participants wer e more likely to infer that their "game partner had significant-other featu res nor subliminally presented when the subliminal cues described their own , rather than a yoked participant's, significant other. Another control con dition in Study 1 ruled out self-generation effects. A subliminality check confirmed that stimuli were nonconscious. Hence, subliminal activation of s ignificant-other representations and nonconscious transference occur.