No effect of value learning on awareness and attention for faces: Evidence from continuous flash suppression and the attentional blink.

It is widely believed that the emotional and movtivational value of social signals, such as faces, influences perception attention. However, effects reported for stimuli with intrinsic affective value, facial expressions, can often be explained by differences in low-level stimulus properties. To rule out effects, here we used a value-learning procedure, which faces were associated different probabilities monetary gain loss choice game. In three experiments involving 149 participants, tested influence valence (win- vs. loss-associated faces) motivational salience (probability or loss) on visual awareness, attention, memory. Using continuous flash suppression rapid serial presentation, found no awareness faces. Furthermore, two experiments, there was evidence modulation attentional blink, indicating acquired does not priority boosted recognition memory, this effect particularly pronounced win-associated These results indicate affect only later processing related to memory but do directly (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).