The role of levels of processing in disentangling the ERP signatures of conscious visual processing.
Monika Derda, Marcin Koculak, Bert Windey, Krzysztof Gociewicz, Michał Wierzchoń, Axel Cleeremans, Marek Binder
Consciousness and Cognition August 1, 2019 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2019.102767 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Event-related EEG experiment Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 36 |
| Population | Human subjects |
| Keywords | Awareness Consciousness Contrastive analysis EEG Event-related potentials Levels of processing Vision Visual masking |
| Key findings | Mean amplitude in the VAN component time window correlated with visibility ratings in both low-level and high-level conditions, while LP time window amplitude correlated only in the high-level condition. |
Abstract
We aimed to distinguish electrophysiological signatures of visual awareness from other task-related processes through manipulating the level of processing of visual stimuli. During an event-related EEG experiment, 36 subjects performed either color (low-level condition) or magnitude (high-level condition) evaluations of masked digits. Participants also assessed subjective visibility of each stimulus using the Perceptual Awareness Scale (PAS). Mean amplitude of the components of interest was analyzed (VAN - 140-240 ms; LP - 380-480 ms) with weighted regression mixed model. In the VAN component time window the mean amplitude correlated with PAS rating in both conditions. Mean amplitude in the LP time window correlated with PAS ratings in the high-level condition, but not in the low-level condition. Our results support the temporal unfolding of ERP makers of conscious processing, with an early component reflecting the initial perceptual experience and a late component being a correlate of the conscious experience of non-perceptual information.