Relative Blindsight Induced by Incongruency with Working Memory

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.