Unconscious affective feedback modulates behavioral choice

摘要

One's behavioral choice is usually based on many external and internal factors which he or she may not be all aware of. Recent studies have shown that certain subliminal visual information, especially that with strong emotional connotation, can still be processed and even influence our spatial attention. The current study further queries whether behavioral choice can be modulated by the consequence of the choice at a level below conscious awareness. We show that subjects' choices of two otherwise equivalent items are significantly influenced by the invisible interocularly suppressed feedbacks following their choices, so that overall they tend to select the item followed by appealing feedback and avoid the item followed by aversive feedback despite they are unaware of the nature of the feedbacks. Our findings demonstrate that humans can optimize their behavior without conscious cost-benefit calculation.