Perception-action Dissociations as a Window into Consciousness.

This Perspectives paper argues that experimental protocols examining qualitative differences between perception and action offer important insights into conscious and unconscious visual processing and their neural correlates. The authors present research using human eye movements as a sensitive measure of unconscious visual processing. They also caution that the growing use of oculomotor and pupillary responses in consciousness research should not lead researchers to infer conscious perception solely from no-report protocols, as these measures can reflect unconscious processing as well.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Understanding the neural correlates of unconscious perception stands as a primary goal of experimental research in cognitive psychology and neuroscience. In this Perspectives paper, we explain why experimental protocols probing qualitative dissociations between perception and action provide valuable insights into conscious and unconscious processing, along with their corresponding neural correlates. We present research that utilizes human eye movements as a sensitive indicator of unconscious visual processing. Given the increasing reliance on oculomotor and pupillary responses in consciousness research, these dissociations also provide a cautionary tale about inferring conscious perception solely based on no-report protocols.