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Further evidence and theoretical framework for a subliminal sensory buffer store (SSBS)
Damian K F Pang1, Stamatis Elntib2
1School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Psychological Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Health and Society, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Consciousness and Cognition
|December 12, 2022
Summary
Information is stored in a subliminal sensory buffer store (SSBS) and can become conscious with repetition. This buffer feeds into short-term memory, impacting conscious access and reportability.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience of Consciousness
- Perception Research
Background:
- Previous research indicated masked stimuli are not erased but stored in a subliminal sensory buffer store (SSBS).
- The SSBS model aligns with predictions from the global workspace theory of consciousness (GWT).
- This has implications for understanding conscious overflow and the problem of the criterion in consciousness studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the subliminal sensory buffer store (SSBS) in conscious perception.
- To determine the influence of presentation sequence and timing on perception from the SSBS.
- To explore the transfer of information from SSBS to supraliminal short-term memory and its effect on conscious access.
Main Methods:
- Experimental manipulation of stimulus presentation sequence and timing.
- Assessment of perception and reportability of masked stimuli.
- Analysis of information transfer from subliminal to supraliminal memory stores.
Main Results:
- Presentation sequence and time to evaluation did not significantly impact perception from the SSBS.
- Selected information from the SSBS is transferred to supraliminal short-term memory.
- This transfer results in stable, consciously accessible representations.
Conclusions:
- The subliminal sensory buffer store (SSBS) plays a crucial role in information processing before conscious access.
- Conscious access level of memory storage is more critical for reportability than initial phenomenology.
- Future research on perception and consciousness should prioritize the level of conscious access in memory storage.
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