Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Subconsciousness and No Awareness01:15

Subconsciousness and No Awareness

The concept of subconscious awareness refers to the processing of information below the level of conscious thought, which significantly influences both behaviors and decisions. It is also known as waking subconscious awareness. This complex level of cognition operates without the direct awareness of the individual, facilitating rapid and simultaneous handling of multiple information streams.
An illustrative example of subconscious processing is its role in problem-solving. Often, individuals...
High-Level and Low-Level Awareness01:19

High-Level and Low-Level Awareness

Controlled processes in human consciousness represent high-alert mental states where individuals deliberately focus their attention on achieving specific goals. Controlled processes can be seen in situations like mastering new technology, where a person might become so absorbed that they ignore surrounding distractions. Such processes involve selective attention, requiring one to concentrate on particular elements of experience while disregarding others. These are governed by executive...
Implicit Memories01:24

Implicit Memories

Implicit memories, also known as non-declarative memories, are long-term memories that function outside of conscious awareness. These memories influence behavior and skills without explicit knowledge. This type of memory is evident in tasks like playing tennis, snowboarding, and texting. Implicit memory has three subsystems: procedural memory, conditioning, and priming. This type of memory is essential in various activities, from everyday tasks to specialized skills.
One key aspect of implicit...
Nonconscious Mimicry01:13

Nonconscious Mimicry

Nonconscious mimicry occurs when individuals alter their mannerisms to match the behaviors and expressions of those nearby, without intention.
Automatic Processing and Automatic Social Behavior01:28

Automatic Processing and Automatic Social Behavior

Automatic processing refers to the cognitive operations that occur without conscious intent or awareness, playing a fundamental role in shaping social cognition and behavior. These processes enable individuals to navigate complex social environments efficiently by relying on mental shortcuts and pre-existing knowledge structures known as schemas. One of the most influential mechanisms underlying automatic processing is priming, which subtly activates mental representations through exposure to...
Understanding Consciousness01:23

Understanding Consciousness

Consciousness can be defined as the state of being aware of and able to think about one's existence, sensations, and surroundings. It encompasses two major components: awareness and arousal. Awareness pertains to the recognition of environmental stimuli and internal states. At the same time, arousal refers to the physiological readiness to engage with these stimuli, which varies significantly between states like sleep and wakefulness.
Sleep, a crucial state, is characterized by reduced physical...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Adaptive variability in humans, pigeons, and rats.

Psychological review·2026
Same author

Sleep deprivation disrupts the gatekeeping role of confidence in belief updating.

Journal of experimental psychology. Applied·2026
Same author

Cognitive flexibility versus stability via activation-based and weight-based adaptations.

Communications psychology·2026
Same author

Audiovisual decision making and sensory evidence weighting is not affected by impulsivity or impulsivity related behaviours in young adults.

Scientific reports·2025
Same author

Medial Frontal Theta Reduction Impairs Rule Switching via Prediction Error.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2025
Same author

Brace yourself: neural and computational insights into the experience of mental effort.

Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)·2025
Same journal

Memory for scene details in eye-movement behavior, with and without awareness.

Consciousness and cognition·2026
Same journal

When one part feels, the whole belongs: associations between local touch referral and illusory full-limb ownership in individuals with leg amputation.

Consciousness and cognition·2026
Same journal

Inhibitory control and mind wandering; more difficult inhibition decreases mind wandering, within limits.

Consciousness and cognition·2026
Same journal

Autism and Aphantasia.

Consciousness and cognition·2026
Same journal

Absolute pitch and sound-color synesthesia provide for unique learning opportunities.

Consciousness and cognition·2026
Same journal

Could we perceive the world differently than we do? Neuroscience-based emergentism and the biological function of consciousness.

Consciousness and cognition·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Intra-Operative Behavioral Tasks in Awake Humans Undergoing Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery
12:04

Intra-Operative Behavioral Tasks in Awake Humans Undergoing Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery

Published on: January 6, 2011

Unconscious task application.

Filip Van Opstal1, Wim Gevers, Magda Osman

  • 1Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, B-9000 Gent, Belgium. filip.vanopstal@ugent.be

Consciousness and Cognition
|June 12, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Unconscious cognitive processing can extend beyond consciously prepared information. This study demonstrates that tasks performed consciously can also apply to unconsciously processed stimuli, even across different categories and levels of abstraction.

More Related Videos

Assessment and Communication for People with Disorders of Consciousness
07:37

Assessment and Communication for People with Disorders of Consciousness

Published on: August 1, 2017

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal
06:45

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal

Published on: April 18, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Intra-Operative Behavioral Tasks in Awake Humans Undergoing Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery
12:04

Intra-Operative Behavioral Tasks in Awake Humans Undergoing Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery

Published on: January 6, 2011

Assessment and Communication for People with Disorders of Consciousness
07:37

Assessment and Communication for People with Disorders of Consciousness

Published on: August 1, 2017

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal
06:45

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal

Published on: April 18, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • The nature of unconscious information processing is a significant debate in cognitive science and neuroscience.
  • Traditionally, unconscious processing was believed to be limited to information prepared by conscious thought.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether consciously performed tasks can be applied to unconsciously processed information.
  • To determine the extent to which unconscious processing can generalize beyond the current conscious task set.

Main Methods:

  • Three experiments were conducted to test the generalization of conscious tasks to unconscious stimuli.
  • Participants performed a same-different judgment task on both consciously presented target stimuli and subliminally presented prime stimuli.

Main Results:

  • The same-different judgment task, when performed consciously, was also applied to subliminally presented prime stimuli.
  • This unconscious task application occurred regardless of whether prime and target stimuli belonged to different categories or were at different levels of abstraction.

Conclusions:

  • Unconscious information processing is more flexible and generalizable than previously thought.
  • Consciously executed cognitive tasks can operate on stimuli outside the immediate focus of attention, even when those stimuli are processed unconsciously.