The scope of unconscious processing remains hotly debated, driven by diverse methods for manipulating and measuring perceptual awareness. Through dialogue among researchers with varied theoretical backgrounds, ten recommendations and nine outstanding issues are provided for designing experimental paradigms, analyzing data, and reporting results. These guidelines aim to evoke discussion about norms in studying unconscious processes and help researchers make informed decisions. While some recommendations may not align with existing approaches and will likely evolve, they are intended to foster a more convergent understanding of the extent and limits of unconscious processing.
A preregistered replication of a 2012 study tested whether people can follow an unseen instruction, integrate it with unseen digits, and perform addition without awareness. Two highly powered experiments failed to reproduce the original finding. The authors conclude that current evidence does not support the claim that arithmetic operations can be flexibly initiated without awareness, consistent with arguments for a more limited scope of unconscious processing.