Conscious and Unconscious Perception - Research Paper Example

? Perception and Performance The question of perception and performance raises interest about the role of perceptual stimuli in determining which task is undertaken; the task at hand or distracting tasks. Evidence shows that a high conscious perceptual load for a task at hand forms a visual blindness against competing distraction stimuli. This study reviews literature on the concept of perceptual load in determining the competition between current and distracting tasks. The findings confirm that a high perceptual load for a current task does prevent the conscious perception of distracting tasks. Practical implications from this study include the promotion of the perceptual load through proper and appealing representation of learning and job tasks to ensure they are performed without distractions. The study proposes research into the impact of unconscious perception of distracting stimuli on a current task being perceived consciously. Perception and Performance One of the questions that psychologists have pondered and debated over a long time is the relationship between awareness and attention. Attention has been traditionally linked with performance, and awareness falls under the interesting studies of consciousness. This brings into focus the concept of perception and its role in determining awareness, and extension, performance. This study focuses on the relationship of perceptual awareness and attention in light of the concept of the perceptual load, establishing how this may impact performance (Beck, 2005). The study finds relevance in consciousness studies due to the aspect of the importance of awareness in determining attention, where inferences may be drawn on how critical consciousness is to attention. The study entails a review of literature generated on the topic, before undertaking a critical evaluation of this literature which then leads to establishing implications. A conclusion is then arrived at based on the findings of the study. Review of Literature A number of investigators have put effort in establishing the role played by perceptual load in determining whether attention impacts awareness and, thus, performance. One of the studies was conducted by Cartwright-Finch and Lavie (2006), who sought to investigate whether focusing attention on a current task would prevent the intrusion of task irrelevant stimuli into a person’s awareness. The scholars argue that the debate on the issue splits psychologists into two groups advocating for early selection and late selection views. In terms of early selection, the argument entails the view that awareness prevents stimuli from reaching perceptual awareness, while the late selection proponents feel that attention has no effect on perceptual awareness. According to the latter view, attention impacts the latter stages after all stimuli has been received, including steps such as selection of response and memory. Cartwright-Finch and Lavie (2006) instead present their own construction involving the perceptual load framework that determines the relationship between attention and awareness and in extension, the actions taken thereafter and, consequently, the performance. The scholars split tasks according to relevance and then argue that attention to the task at hand prevents the perception of task-irrelevant stimuli. However, this only takes place where the task-relevant stimulus is accompanied by very high perceptual load consuming all the available capacity. When this is not the case, the late selection view ensues. Here, the failure of the task-relevant stimuli to occupy all available capacity due to a low perceptual load leads to room in which involuntary perception of task-irrelevant stimuli are perceived. According to the two scholars, the perceptual load of task-relevant stimuli mediates the relationship between attention and awareness and, by extension, the performance in an individual. Thus, perception - determined by the interplay between task-relevant and task -irrelevant stimuli – impacts on performance. In case the task-relevant stimuli are strong (higher perception of task-relevant stimuli); the individual’s performance will be higher. Lavie (2006) discusses perception and performance through detailing the perceptual load based on the response competition paradigm. The scholar identifies the role of perceptual load in determining visual awareness and, thus, performance as the central aim of the study. When an individual is performing a given task, perceptual identification is usually more demanding on attention with high load. Behavioral response studies based on the response competition concept have been used to study the role of perception in the determination of distractor processing. These experiments indicated that the response competition effects from distractors with incongruent identity occurred when the given tasks involve low perceptual load. In case the distractions (interfering tasks) involved high perceptual load, the response competition was impacted in such a way that it was reduced. According to these results, it is clear that a high perceptual load for the task at hand diminishes the processing abilities of the individual for the distracting tasks. The scholar concludes that a high perceptual load for a task at hand brings about an inattentional blindness on the individual, where they do not perceive distracting stimuli and instead focus on performing the given task. Schwartz et al. (2005) also discuss the relationship between perception and performance basing on the concept of perceptual suppression or enhancement of distractors. According to these scholars, perceptual suppression of distractors, which would result in the performance of current tasks at the expenses of the distracters, depends on a number of exogenous and endogenous factors. The exogenous factors include sensory competition among a number of simultaneous stimuli facing an individual. The ability to suppress the distractors and enhance the task at hand is promoted by the task having high sensual stimulation than the distractors. This is termed as exogenous since it depends on the stimuli from the competing tasks for the attention of the individual. At the endogenous level, the attentional load plays important roles in determining the suppression of distractor stimuli and enabling the individual concentrate on the given task at hand. A high perceptual load by current task stimuli over those of the distracting stimuli suppresses the latter stimuli; thus, the individual is able to perform the task at hand. Discussion The literature reviewed indicate an agreement that perception, in this case as the perceptual load concept, has important roles in determining the competition among tasks through mediating which stimuli influences the individual. Critical evaluation enables a conclusion about how trustworthy the studies are in informing the field of psychology about perception and performance to be achieved. One of the most important aspects of determining the strength of the studies reviewed entails evaluating whether they bear weaknesses that would lead to doubts about their findings. The studies adopt experimental research designs in which, Cartwright-Finch and Lavie (2006) use a sample of 54, Lavie (2006) uses 40 while Schwartz (2005) uses only 16. The small sample sizes may potentially diminish the generalizability of the study results to bigger populations. However, the scholars adopt triangulation of different data sources in their study- for instance, visual experimentation alongside neuro-imaging- which, according to Shenton (2004) is one of the most important ways of countering limitations. The studies are also based on strong theoretical foundations such as the perceptual load theory and the response competition paradigm which give credence to the results of the studies. Without such conceptual frameworks, investigations into perception and performance may be deemed hollow and unreliable. The relevance of the literature reviewed and this study to consciousness cannot be overstated. The study shows that tasks at hand and distractions usually compete for the perception of the individual. A higher perceptual load for the task at hand ensures the individual sticks to performing the given task and develops a visual blindness for the distracting stimuli. In essence, a higher perceptual load means that the task which is at hand occurs as a conscious percept in the individual as opposed to the unconscious state. The studies agree with Prinz (2008) that the determinants of which task stimuli are consciously perceived entail what the stimuli represent and the abstractness of the representation. These determinants are what the literature represents as perceptual load that makes the individual consciously execute given tasks. One of the interesting areas that research may be undertaken in the subject of perception and performance involves the issue of unconscious perceptions. Current evidence is conclusive that unconscious perceptions do exist. In this case, an interesting question arises when the distracting tasks’ stimuli are unconsciously perceived while the current task is consciously perceived. Does the unconscious perception of the competing tasks impact the performance of the current task? The study contributes to the field of psychology through building on consciousness literature; thus, the study is important in building the body of psychology knowledge. Through suggesting an area for future research, this study also contributes to the growth of the field of psychology. The practical applications from this study derive from the knowledge gained about competition of tasks as determined by the perceptual load. A high perceptual load for the performance of a given task is established as being determined by the abstractness and meaning of stimuli representation. Hence, the performance of workers and students through enhancing the task at hand and forming a visual blindness to distracting stimuli may be promoted through proper and appealing representation of the task at hand. Conclusion This study explores the relationship between perception and performance through investigating the concept of perceptual load as a determinant of awareness and attentiveness. The study establishes that a high perceptual load for the task at hand forms attention/visual blindness to distracting task stimuli and, thus, these are not perceived. The consequence is the maintained performance of the current task without distraction. On the other hand, a low perceptual load leaves room for perception of distracting stimuli which interferes with the performance of the task at hand. The study contributes to the field of psychology through building on the body of knowledge for conscious perceptions. The unconscious perception of distracting tasks during the conscious execution of the current task forms an interesting area in which future research efforts may focus. In terms of practical applications, appealing and proper representation of crucial tasks such as learning or executing employment duties can be used to enhance the performance of the students or employees. References Beck, D. M., (2005). Look here but ignore what you see: Effects of distractors at fixation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 31, 592–607. Cartwright-Finch, U., & Lavie, N. (2006). The role of perceptual load in inattentional blindness. Elselvier. Retrieved 27 February 2012 from http://www.icn.ucl.ac.uk/lavielab/reprints/Cartwright-Finch-Lavie.pdf Lavie, N. (2006). The role of perceptual load in visual awareness. Brain Research, 1080, 91-100. Prinz, J. J. (2008). When is perception conscious? Retrieved 27 February 2012 from http://subcortex.com/WhenIsPerceptionConscious_Prinz.pdf Schwartz, S., Vuilleumier, P., Hutton, C., Maravita, A., Dolan, R.J., & Driver, J. (2005). Attentional load and sensory competition in human vision: Modulation of fMRI responses by load at fixation during task-irrelevant stimulation in the peripheral visual field. Cerebral Cortex 15, 707–786. Shenton, A. K. (2004). Strategies for ensuring trust worth in qualitative research projects. Education for Information, 22, 63–75. Read More