Unconscious temporal attention induced by invisible temporal association cues.
Yangyang Sun, Keshuo Wang, Xingjie Liang, Peng Zhou, Yanliang Sun
Consciousness and cognition November 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2024.103786 via PubMed
Summary
Temporal attention—prioritizing information based on timing—can occur without conscious awareness. Using a temporal cueing paradigm with masking, visible and invisible cues both triggered temporal attention, though visible cues produced stronger effects. EEG recordings showed that both cue types evoked the contingent negative variation (CNV) component, with smaller amplitudes for invisible cues; the P300 component followed a similar pattern. Hierarchical drift-diffusion modeling indicated that both conscious and unconscious temporal attention involve non-perceptual decision-making processes. These findings both support and challenge the Global Workspace Theory: consciousness enhances attention through global broadcasting, whereas unconscious attention may rely on more localized neural networks.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Experimental study with two experiments (behavioral and EEG) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Cnv Hierarchical drift–diffusion modeling P300 Temporal association cues Temporal attention |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key finding | Both conscious and unconscious temporal cues trigger temporal attention and evoke the CNV component, though conscious cues produce stronger effects. |
Abstract
Temporal attention is the ability to prioritize information based on timing. While conscious perception of temporally structured information is known to generate temporal attention, whether it occurs unconsciously remains uncertain. This study used a temporal cueing paradigm with masking techniques to explore the differences between conscious and unconscious temporal attention mechanisms. Experiment 1 found that both visible and invisible cues triggered temporal attention, with stronger effects for visible cues. Experiment 2, using electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings, showed that both visible and invisible cues evoked contingent negative variation (CNV) component, albeit smaller with invisible cues. The P300 component further supported this pattern. Hierarchical drift-diffusion modeling (HDDM) analysis demonstrated that both conscious and unconscious temporal attention effects involve non-perceptual decision-making processes. These findings both align and challenge the Global Workspace Theory, suggesting that while consciousness enhances conscious attention via global broadcasting, unconscious attention may rely on more localized neural networks.