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Unconsciously elicited perceptual prior
Raymond Chang1, Alexis T Baria2, Matthew W Flounders3
1National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Cornell University Weill Medical College, New York, NY 10065, USA.
Neuroscience of Consciousness
|September 6, 2016
Summary
Unconscious visual processing can influence conscious perception. Fleeting, unrecognized images prime the brain, aiding later recognition of degraded visual stimuli, suggesting top-down influences on vision.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Vision is increasingly understood as an inferential process, not just feed-forward.
- The role of unconscious stimuli in shaping conscious perception remains a key question.
- While conscious stimuli yield stronger neural responses, unconscious stimuli can still impact brain and behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if unconscious processing of a masked image can facilitate conscious recognition of a degraded image presented later.
- To explore the influence of unconscious visual information on subsequent conscious perception.
Main Methods:
- Participants viewed a masked natural image (unconscious stimulus).
- Following a delay, participants viewed a degraded Mooney image (degraded stimulus).
- Behavioral responses were measured to assess recognition facilitation.
Main Results:
- Unconscious processing of the masked image significantly facilitated subsequent conscious recognition of the degraded Mooney image.
- This facilitation occurred even when the initial image was presented briefly and masked.
Conclusions:
- Conscious vision is influenced by prior unconscious processing.
- Unconscious stimuli can establish priors that shape and guide conscious perception.
- Top-down influences in vision can be driven by subliminal information.
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