Mindlessly Motivated – a Critical Review of Subliminal Motivation

The role of consciousness in motivation is examined, questioning whether unconscious incentives can drive goal pursuit. A critical review of empirical and theoretical works supporting unconscious motivation contrasts them with a valence-centered account. Recent methodological advances in unconscious processing raise concerns about accurately assessing perceptual awareness in previous cognitive neuroscience experiments that proposed alternative processing routes for unconscious external reward cues. A conflation of automatic behavior responses with intentional, motivated behavior is discussed. The subjective experience of valence, a fundamental aspect of phenomenal consciousness, is argued to be the core organizing principle of human intentional behavior, supported by findings that affective evaluation is integral to perceptual experience.

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Abstract

Abstract What is the role of consciousness in motivation? Can we be motivated by unconscious incentives, and pursue goals that we are not even aware of? In this article, we critically review extant empirical and theoretical works that support such claims and contrast them with an alternative, valence-centered account of motivation. In light of recent methodological advancements in the field of unconscious processing, we raise concerns about the accurate assessment of perceptual awareness in previous influential cognitive neuroscience experiments that sparked theorizing about potential alternative processing routes of unconscious external reward cues. Furthermore, we discuss a conflation of automatic behavior responses with intentional and motivated behaviour. We argue that the subjective experience of valence, a fundamental aspect of phenomenal consciousness, is the core organizing principle of human intentional behaviour. This account is supported by empirical findings that suggest that affective evaluation is an integral part of perceptual experience.