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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2025.11.14.688399

Working Memory Selectively Modulates Subjective Perception: A Pilot Study

Che, W.·Nakamura, T.·Lau, H.
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Abstract

The present study demonstrates a blindsight-like dissociation between subjective perception and general perceptual capacity in nonclinical observers. Participants performed either a two-interval forced-choice (2-IFC) or a Yes/No face detection task during working memory delay. To match general perceptual processing capacity across conditions, we titrated stimulus luminance contrast in the 2-IFC task and applied the same contrast in the Yes/No task. In Experiment 1, categorically incongruent (i.e., scene) information held in working memory impaired the sensitivity of the Yes/No detection of stimulus presence (face) vs. absence (blank background). In contrast, this effect was absent in Experiment 2, in which the Yes/No task required a discrimination of a face (target) vs. a scrambled face (non-target). These findings indicate that stimulus incongruency in working memory selectively influences subjective perception, dissociating it from general perceptual capacity.

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Che, W., Nakamura, T., Lau, H.. 2025-11-14. Working Memory Selectively Modulates Subjective Perception: A Pilot Study. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.14.688399

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