Final answer:
Research has shown that sensory input can be registered without conscious awareness, and while subliminal messages can affect behavior in lab settings, their impact on real-world behavior is minimal. The answer is option C.
Step-by-step explanation:
Research has supported the statement that sensory input can be registered without conscious awareness. When it comes to subliminal perception, studies have shown that in controlled laboratory settings, people can process and respond to information that they are not consciously aware of. These findings relate to the stimuli that are beneath our absolute threshold of conscious perception, known as subliminal messages. However, the impact of these subliminal messages on our behavior outside of laboratory conditions is minimal, indicating that they do not have a significant influence on our actions in daily life.
Moreover, the concept of the difference threshold, as proposed by Ernst Weber, is an essential part of understanding sensory perception. It highlights how the detection of changes in stimuli can vary depending on the intensity or context of the original stimulus. In practical applications, like air traffic control, the motivation and expectation of an individual can affect the ability to detect particular sensory signals, which is an important aspect of signal detection theory.
All these aspects illustrate the complex nature of how we perceive sensory input and how various factors such as subliminal messages, threshold differences, and attention can influence the perception process.