What psychological effect states that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them?

The mere-exposure effect is a psychological phenomenon where individuals tend to develop a preference for things simply because they are familiar with them. When people are repeatedly exposed to a stimulus, such as a person, object, music, or even words, their liking for that stimulus typically increases. This effect occurs even when the repeated exposure happens without conscious awareness or any significant interaction with the stimulus.

Research has shown that this effect is powerful across various contexts and can influence attitudes and preferences in diverse areas, including consumer behavior, interpersonal relationships, and aesthetic preferences. The underlying reason for this mechanism may involve cognitive fluency; things that are familiar are easier to process cognitively, leading to positive feelings towards them.

The other concepts mentioned do not encapsulate this idea effectively. The conditioning effect relates to learning associations between stimuli and responses, often through reinforcement, while the familiarity principle suggests people prefer familiar things but isn't specifically tied to the increase in liking through mere exposure. The social proof effect speaks to the tendency to look to others for cues on how to behave, which is unrelated to the enhancement of liking through familiarity. Therefore, the mere-exposure effect is the most accurate answer to the question regarding repeated exposure leading to increased liking.