Expectation creates something out of nothing: The role of attention in iconic memory reconsidered.
Consciousness and Cognition August 1, 2017 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2017.06.017 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental replication Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Cognitive penetration Expectation Iconic memory Individual differences Perception Phenomenal consciousness Predictive coding Selective attention Subjective experience |
| Citations | 42 |
| Key findings | Expectation creates illusory letters that overwrite valid iconic memory content when attention is diverted. |
Abstract
Conscious experience is modulated by attention and expectation, yet is believed to be independent of attention. The experiments on iconic memory (IM) are usually taken as support for this claim. However, a recent experiment demonstrated that when attention is diverted away from the IM letter display subjects fail to see the absence of IM letters. Here we contribute to the ongoing debate by overcoming experimental shortcomings of this previous experiment, by measuring subjective visibility and by testing the effect of the post-cue. We were able to replicate these earlier findings and extend them by demonstrating that subjects who do not realize the absence of letters perceive illusory letters. This result means that there is still phenomenal consciousness, even when attention is diverted. Expectation creates illusory content that overwrites valid IM content. Taken together these findings suggest that the present experimental paradigm is not appropriate to make claims about IM content.