Summary
What is the duration of the influence of information perceived without awareness? Some studies suggest a duration of only a few seconds whereas others suggest a duration of hours, days, or weeks. To further investigate this question, we used a variant of the inattentional blindness paradigm (Mack & Rock, 1998). In three experiments, participants viewed briefly presented visual displays consisting of both a centrally located word and a peripherally located cross with unequal vertical and horizontal arms. Awareness of the words was varied by requiring participants either to read the word and then judge which arm of the cross was longer, or the reverse. Perception of the words was assessed using three-letter stems (e.g., pho_ __) of each word (e.g., phone), with participants instructed to complete the stem to make any word other than one previously presented. Success in following the instructions indicates that a word was perceived with awareness; failure indicates that a word was perceived without awareness. Memory for information perceived without awareness lasted for at least 32 minutes, and was strong following all retention intervals. These findings are consistent with previous studies suggesting that memory for information perceived without awareness can last for hours or days.
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© 2005 Springer-Verlag Tokyo
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Merikle, P.M., Smith, S.D. (2005). Memory for Information Perceived Without Awareness. In: Ohta, N., MacLeod, C.M., Uttl, B. (eds) Dynamic Cognitive Processes. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/4-431-27431-6_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/4-431-27431-6_5
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