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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Decision Science

Background:

  • The role of unconscious processing in decision-making remains a contentious topic.
  • Previous models primarily focused on conscious evidence accumulation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To extend decision-making models to encompass unconscious evidence accumulation.
  • To investigate how unconscious information integrates with conscious evidence.
  • To assess the impact of unconscious information on decision accuracy and confidence.

Main Methods:

  • A novel dichoptic suppression paradigm was employed to control conscious and unconscious evidence.
  • A diffusion model was used to analyze the accumulation of decisional evidence.
  • Decision accuracy and confidence ratings were measured.

Main Results:

  • Unconscious information can be accumulated and integrated with conscious evidence, influencing decision accuracy.
  • The presence of conscious decision-relevant information was necessary for unconscious information to be utilized.
  • Evidence accumulation under unconscious processing was slower and more variable, but not absent.
  • Unconscious processing improved accuracy without a corresponding increase in subjective confidence.

Conclusions:

  • Unconscious information significantly contributes to decision-making processes, albeit with reduced efficiency compared to conscious processing.
  • Effective integration of unconscious evidence requires concurrent conscious information.
  • Individuals exhibit poor metacognitive awareness of unconscious influences on their decisions.