When people mistakenly report seeing a briefly presented, backward-masked emotional face that was not actually shown, these false-positive responses are linked to heightened physiological arousal before and after the trial, high confidence in the erroneous perception, and ratings of valence and arousal that match the type of face misperceived. These effects are strongest for fearful faces. The findings suggest a mechanism for partial, self-encapsulated emotional-experiential apperception and a possible fear-primacy socio-emotional response module that operates under visual ambiguity and high psychophysiological arousal.
The authors argue that subliminal processing—unconscious responses to imperceptible stimuli—cannot be the sole basis for evolutionary skill acquisition, conscious problem-solving, or social engagement. They contend that a purely subliminal unconscious would pose an evolutionary disadvantage, whereas unconscious processes that interact with conscious awareness are necessary for ecological adaptation. The paper discusses how unconscious-and-conscious communication supports implicit and explicit learning, physiological responses, and adaptive evaluation. It concludes by noting the lack of an experimental paradigm to properly investigate subliminality and the interactions between consciousness and the unconscious mind.