The nature of the object mediates conscious perception: evidence from reaction time

Humans evolved to find and manipulate food in our environment. Studies have shown faster reaction times (RTs) and better visual attention for food stimuli. The current study investigated if the same is the case when stimuli are presented at the pre-attentive level. Food and No Food images were presented with and without a subliminal technique called b-CFS (breaking- Continuous Flash Suppression). This technique hides the image presented to one eye by distracting the other with a colorful flashing mask (i.e. Mondrian). Consistent with previous reports, an advantage for Food was found but only when the stimuli were presented without the Mondrian (No b-CFS condition). No difference in RT was found in the b-CFS condition. Modern food is complex and variant RT can be modulated by: Manipulability (whether an object can be grasped using a Whole hand grasp vs. Precision grasp) and process state (Nature vs. Processed). Results suggest that the advantage in detecting Food stimuli is only present during conscious perception.NSER