Michał Wierzbicki, Michał Wierzchoń and Piotr Styrkowiec
Affiliation: University of Wrocław, Jagiellonian University, University of Wrocław
Background: Motor actions and perception are tightly linked in cognitive processing. Previous research suggests that motor activity can enhance or interfere with visual awareness, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Our study investigated whether motor actions influence visual awareness and whether task order—motor action preceding stimulus perception versus stimulus perception preceding motor action—modulates this effect.
Methods: Participants were presented with a visually crowded stimulus and asked to execute a motor action either before or after stimulus presentation. Subjective visual awareness was assessed using the Perceptual Awareness Scale (PAS), while objective awareness was measured via stimulus direction discrimination accuracy. This design allowed us to test whether motor actions provide additional information that enhances awareness or if they create cognitive interference.
Results: Contrary to our initial hypothesis, motor actions did not enhance visual awareness. Instead, the results suggested that performing a motor action and a perceptual task in close succession led to competition for cognitive resources, reducing stimulus awareness. Task order played a crucial role: PAS ratings were significantly higher when motor actions were performed before stimulus presentation compared to when they followed it. This finding aligns with existing literature on cognitive load and supports the notion that task sequencing is critical in visual awareness studies.
Conclusion: The study highlights the competitive nature of cognitive processing between motor actions and perceptual awareness. While motor activity does not necessarily enhance visual perception, its timing relative to stimulus presentation can significantly influence awareness levels. These findings provide valuable insights into the interaction between action and perception, emphasizing the role of cognitive resource allocation in shaping conscious experience.