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Measuring unconscious cognition: Beyond the zero-awareness criterion
1Department of Cognitive Psychology, University of Giessen, Germany.
Advances in Cognitive Psychology
|June 3, 2010
Summary
This study explores unconscious cognition using visual masking. Researchers found that double dissociations and feedforward tasks offer robust methods for measuring unconscious processing, even without full visual awareness.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Neuroscience
- Visual perception
Background:
- Visual masking is used to study unconscious processing in masked priming experiments.
- Establishing unconscious cognition requires careful dissociation between awareness and processing measures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To discuss methods for establishing unconscious cognition in masked priming studies.
- To explore the utility of double dissociations and feedforward tasks for measuring unconscious processing.
Main Methods:
- Examining simple and double dissociations between direct (awareness) and indirect (processing) measures.
- Investigating priming effects in speeded pointing movements as a feedforward task.
Main Results:
- Double dissociations provide a robust criterion for unconscious cognition with weaker assumptions.
- Priming effects in speeded pointing tasks occur without recurrent processing, suggesting unconscious processing.
Conclusions:
- Feedforward tasks may allow direct measurement of unconscious processing timelines.
- This approach bypasses the need for recurrent processing, often linked to visual awareness.
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