Subliminal speech perception and auditory streaming.
Current theories of consciousness assume a qualitative dissociation between conscious and unconscious processing: while subliminal stimuli only elicit a transient activity, supraliminal stimuli have long-lasting influences. Nevertheless, the existence of this qualitative distinction remains controversial, as past studies confounded awareness and stimulus strength (energy, duration). Here, we used a masked speech priming method in conjunction with a submillisecond interaural delay manipulation to contrast subliminal and supraliminal processing at constant prime, mask and target strength. This delay induced a perceptual streaming effect, with the prime popping out in the supraliminal condition. By manipulating the prime-target interval (ISI), we show a qualitatively distinct profile of priming longevity as a function of prime awareness. While subliminal priming disappeared after half a second, supraliminal priming was independent of ISI. This shows that the distinction between conscious and unconscious processing depends on high-level perceptual streaming factors rather than low-level features (energy, duration).
Dupoux
Emmanuel
E
Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique, CNRS/EHESS/DEC-ENS, Paris, France. emmanuel.dupoux@gmail.com
de Gardelle
Vincent
V
Kouider
Sid
S
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D013360:Subliminal Stimulation; D055815:Young Adult