Chica, A. 1 , Botta, F. 2 , Lupiáñez, J. 2 & Bartolomeo, P. 1
1 INSERM-UPMC UMR-S 975
2 Universidad de Granada
The relationship between spatial attention and conscious perception (CP) remains highly controversial. While theoretical models and experimental data support their interdependence (Chica et al., 2010; 2011; Dehaene et al., 2006; Mack & Rock, 1998), recent studies claim that at least some forms of attention -endogenous or top down spatial attention- are neither sufficient nor necessary for CP (Koch & Tsuchiya, 2007). We will present an electrophysiological study in which endogenous and exogenous orienting mechanisms are orthogonally manipulated from CP. By analyzing two different cue-related components, our results demonstrated that while endogenous attention was electrophysiologically dissociated from CP, exogenous attention was not. Additionally, targets elicited a larger N100 component when they were presented at unattended vs. attended locations, independently of conscious reports. Our results therefore support previous claims of dissociations between some forms of spatial attention and CP, but also highlight the importance of exogenous orienting on the selection of information for conscious access.