Extending the global workspace theory to emotion: phenomenality without access.
Consciousness and Cognition September 1, 2004 Dennis J L G Schutter, Jack Van Honk
Consciousness is thought to involve temporary connections in thalamo-cortico-cortical networks, with connectivity levels determining conscious state. This study investigated whether emotional compared to neutral facial expressions, presented either unconsciously (masked) or consciously (unmasked), would differently modulate EEG coherence—a measure of neural connectivity. EEG coherence was measured between frontal, parietal, and midline scalp sites. Objective checks confirmed that masked expressions were not consciously identified. Results showed reductions in EEG coherence in the lower frequency range for masked versus unmasked neutral expressions. Crucially, this decline did not occur for emotional expressions. The level of EEG coherence varied with awareness, but not when emotion was involved, suggesting that unconscious emotional processes modulate EEG coherence, extending views on the global workspace architecture of consciousness.