| |
Abstract:
Abstract: To what extent are unconsciously processed words
transferred between the hemispheres? To answer this question, we
used a primed stem completion task in conjunction with split field
presentations. Observers performed two tasks: inclusion, the
ability to explicitly report words, and exclusion, the tendency to
report words that were presented without conscious awareness.
Practical Problem: Location uncertainty of the word is an inherent
feature of hemispheric studies, to ensure that observers cannot
anticipate the side of presentation. This serves to divide
attention among the possible word locations. There is growing
evidence that divided attention is similar to backward visual
masking in producing implicit influences on performance. Therefore,
we examined the joint influence of divided attention and masking on
implicit perception. Results. Inclusion Task: A visual mask
effectively reduced explicit reports of briefly presented words.
There was a general tendency for the left hemisphere to read words
with higher accuracy in all conditions. Exclusion Task: There were
many exclusion failures when words were presented briefly,
especially for the right hemisphere. There were even large
exclusion failures for masked words presented for 500 ms. Hence
both divided attention and masking contribute to unconscious
processing. Main Finding: There was little interhemispheric
transfer of unconscious words. Failures in the exclusion task were
more likely when the stem to be completed was presented to the same
hemisphere as the priming word.
|
