Neural correlates of goal-directed enhancement and suppression of visual stimuli in the absence of conscious perception.

ABSTRACT: An observer's current goals can influence the processing of visual stimuli. Such influences can work to enhance goal-relevant stimuli and suppress goal-irrelevant stimuli. Here, we combined behavioral testing and electroencephalography (EEG) to examine whether such enhancement and suppression effects arise even when the stimuli are masked from awareness. We used a feature-based spatial cueing paradigm, in which participants searched four-item arrays for a target in a specific color. Immediately before the target array, a nonpredictive cue display was presented in which a cue matched or mismatched the searched-for target color, and appeared either at the target location (spatially valid) or another location (spatially invalid). Cue displays were masked using continuous flash suppression. Th

SUBMITTER: Travis SL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6647410 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature