Further evidence and theoretical framework for a subliminal sensory buffer store (SSBS).

Strongly masked visual stimuli are not erased but briefly held in a subliminal sensory buffer store (SSBS), where repetition can make them consciously accessible. The presentation sequence and the time from target to evaluation do not significantly affect perception. Selected information from the SSBS is transferred into a supraliminal short-term memory that maintains stable, fully conscious representations. The level of conscious access in memory storage influences later reportability more than initial phenomenology does, and this factor should be more prominent in discussions of perception and consciousness.

Study at a glance

Abstract

We recently provided evidence that strongly masked stimuli are not erased or overwritten but are briefly stored in a subliminal sensory buffer store (SSBS), where information can accumulate through repetition and become consciously accessible. SSBS supports a direct prediction made by the global workspace theory of consciousness (GWT) and has implications on discussions about conscious overflow and the problem of the criterion. Here we show that the presentation sequence and the time from the target presentation to evaluation does not significantly impact perception. We suggest that selected information from this subliminal sensory buffer store is transferred into a type of supraliminal short-term memory that keeps stable representations for longer durations with full conscious access. We argue that the level of conscious access of memory storage has a greater impact on subsequent reportability than initial phenomenology and needs to be included more prominently in discussions on perception and consciousness.