6533b86dfe1ef96bd12c9c72

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Conscious and nonconscious influences in the sensory domain

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description

Présentation (résumé 1 p.) ; http://www.pangborn2013.com/; International audience; Characterizing the relationships between conscious and unconscious processing is one of the most important goals of cognitive psychology. Renewed interest in the nature of consciousness has reignited long-standing debates about the reach of the unconscious -- the extent to which behaviour can be influenced by knowledge we are not aware of. According to Nisbett & Wilson (1977), subjects can be "(a) unaware of the existence of a stimulus that importantly influenced a response, (b) unaware of the existence of the response, and (c) unaware that the stimulus has affected the response." Many studies have now (arguably) demonstrated that unconscious knowledge can influence perception, action, and memory. Most of the studies make use of priming paradigms, in which stimuli that people remain unaware of (e.g., subliminal stimuli) subsequently influence choices, preferences, and decisions. Here, I first overview this literature with a critical eye, drawing on recent studies from both cognitive and social psychology. Priming is a domain faced with numerous, often complex methodological challenges when using visual or auditory stimuli in artificial paradigms. One possibility to alleviate these challenges is to use stimuli that are evolutionarily more ancient and which can be presented in more natural settings: Odours. From this perspective, I report on a recent study that extends priming paradigms to the olfactory domain. Because of its evolutionary and functional links to food, the olfactory modality is of particular interest in the domain of food-related behaviour. In a recent study, Gaillet et al. showed that incidental and unconscious exposure to a fruity odour influenced food choice (as registered by menu choices), guiding participants towards preferring fruit and/or vegetables. A further ongoing study has replicated this effect in a real situation of actual consumption (i.e. during a lunch). I close by reflecting on the implications of these studies for our understanding of the relationships between conscious and unconscious processing in the sensory domain.