title: "The mask who wasn't there": visual masking effect with the perceptual absence of the mask.
abstract: Does a visual mask need to be perceptually present to disrupt processing? In the present research, we proposed to explore the link between perceptual and memory mechanisms by demonstrating that a typical sensory phenomenon (visual masking) can be replicated at a memory level. Experiment 1 highlighted an interference effect of a visual mask on the categorization of auditory targets and confirmed the multimodal nature of knowledge. In Experiment 2, we proposed to reactivate this mask in a categorization task on visual targets. Results showed that the sensory mask has disrupted (slower reaction times) the processing of the targets whether the mask was perceptually present or reactivated in memory. These results support a sensory-based conception of memory processing and suggest that the difference between perceptual processes and memory processes is characterized by the presence (perception) or the absence (memory) of the sensory properties involved in the activity.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Étude Mécanismes Cognitifs (EMC), Lyon 2 University.
authors.forename: Amandine Eve
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Rey
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Étude Mécanismes Cognitifs (EMC), Lyon 2 University.
authors.forename: Benoit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Riou
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Univ. Grenoble Alpes.
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Muller
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Étude Mécanismes Cognitifs (EMC), Lyon 2 University.
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dabic
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Étude Mécanismes Cognitifs (EMC), Lyon 2 University.
authors.forename: Rémy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Versace
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011930:Reaction Time; D014796:Visual Perception; D055815:Young Adult