The effect of task relevancy in non-consciously retained information in working memory

Abstract: The relationship between cognitive processes and consciousness has been of interest for a long time in the science community. Recent studies showed that it’s possible to non-consciously retain information in working memory.  This study aimed to replicate previous findings, and to investigate the effect of task relevancy to the retention of non-conscious information. This study used a delayed-match-to-sample task with a cue manipulating the attention, and continuous flash suppression to render the perceptual experience non-conscious on 16 participants.  Analyses showed that cue validity affected the accuracy performance and response time for items reported not seen. Implications of study design, results and theories are deliberated in the discussion.