The scope of unconscious processing remains hotly debated, driven by diverse methods for manipulating and measuring perceptual awareness. Through dialogue among researchers with varied theoretical backgrounds, ten recommendations and nine outstanding issues are provided for designing experimental paradigms, analyzing data, and reporting results. These guidelines aim to evoke discussion about norms in studying unconscious processes and help researchers make informed decisions. While some recommendations may not align with existing approaches and will likely evolve, they are intended to foster a more convergent understanding of the extent and limits of unconscious processing.
Cognitive psychology and neuroscience research on consciousness typically focuses on the boundary between unconscious and conscious vision, which ironically reveals more about what conscious experience is not than what it is, akin to learning about an object only from its shadow. During the 2020 workshop "Perspectives on Consciousness" in Israel, participants encountered diverse approaches, including phenomenology-centered work, bold theoretical proposals, and non-scientific methods for understanding subjective experience. Initially, the term "consciousness" seemed hollow and differently defined across disciplines, but discussions revealed how these approaches can complement each other. The author contends that descriptive study of subjective experience can illuminate what distinguishes unconscious processing from conscious experience, and that cross-disciplinary communication is hindered by researchers using identical words for different concepts.