Does level of processing affect the transition from unconscious to conscious perception?

•In two experiments we test the level of processing hypothesis (Windey, Gevers, & Cleeremans, 2013).•We compare subjective ratings in high and low level condition of a visual task.•Subjective ratings are less gradual in the high-level than in the low-level task.•The level of processing influence...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Consciousness and cognition 2015-11, Vol.36, p.1-11
Main Authors: Anzulewicz, Anna, Asanowicz, Dariusz, Windey, Bert, Paulewicz, Borysław, Wierzchoń, Michał, Cleeremans, Axel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Awareness
Awareness - physiology
Cognition & reasoning
Consciousness
Consciousness - physiology
Dichotomous
Female
Gradual
Humans
Levels of processing
Male
Pattern Recognition, Visual
Perceptions
Psychological tests
Semantics
Unconscious (Psychology)
Vision
Visual Perception - physiology
Young Adult
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Summary:•In two experiments we test the level of processing hypothesis (Windey, Gevers, & Cleeremans, 2013).•We compare subjective ratings in high and low level condition of a visual task.•Subjective ratings are less gradual in the high-level than in the low-level task.•The level of processing influences the transition to conscious perception.•The results support the level of processing hypothesis. Recently, Windey, Gevers, and Cleeremans (2013) proposed a level of processing (LoP) hypothesis claiming that the transition from unconscious to conscious perception is influenced by the level of processing imposed by task requirements. Here, we carried out two experiments to test the LoP hypothesis. In both, participants were asked to classify briefly presented pairs of letters as same or different, based either on the letters’ physical features (a low-level task), or on a semantic rule (a high-level task). Stimulus awareness was measured by means of the four-point Perceptual Awareness Scale (PAS). The results showed that low or moderate stimulus visibility was reported more frequently in the low-level task than in the high-level task, suggesting that the transition from unconscious to conscious perception is more gradual in the former than in the latter. Therefore, although alternative interpretations remain possible, the results of the present study fully support the LoP hypothesis.
ISSN:1053-8100
1090-2376
DOI:10.1016/j.concog.2015.05.004