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Subconscious processing reveals dissociable contextual modulations of visual size perception.
Lihong Chen1, Congying Qiao2, Ying Wang3
1Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China.
Cognition
|August 11, 2018
Summary
Visual illusions like the Ebbinghaus effect can influence size perception unconsciously. This study shows subconscious contextual modulation occurs in early visual processing, independent of conscious awareness.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Visual size perception is known to be influenced by surrounding elements.
- The mechanisms underlying this contextual modulation and its dependence on conscious awareness are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether contextual modulation of visual size perception can occur outside of conscious awareness.
- To differentiate the neural pathways involved in subconscious versus conscious size perception.
Main Methods:
- Experiments utilized the Ebbinghaus and Ponzo illusions.
- Stimuli were manipulated for visibility, including interocular suppression.
- Suppression emergence time was measured to assess subconscious processing.
Main Results:
- The Ebbinghaus illusion persisted even when inducers were invisible, indicating subconscious modulation.
- Interocular suppression of the target resolved faster with small inducers, correlating with illusion strength.
- No such subconscious effects were observed for the Ponzo illusion.
Conclusions:
- Contextual information can modulate visual size perception without conscious awareness.
- Subconscious modulation appears to involve early visual processing streams, distinct from feedback mechanisms.
- These findings suggest separate pathways for conscious and subconscious visual contextual processing.
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