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What’s taking so long for conscious vision?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 June 2026

Tarryn Balsdon Open the ORCID record for Tarryn Balsdon [Opens in a new window]  and
Ljubica Jovanovic Open the ORCID record for Ljubica Jovanovic [Opens in a new window]
Tarryn Balsdon*
Affiliation:
Laboratoire des systèmes perceptifs, Département d’études cognitives, École normale supérieure, PSL University, Paris, France tarryn.balsdon@cnrs.fr lj.m.jovanovic@gmail.com
Ljubica Jovanovic
Affiliation:
Laboratoire des systèmes perceptifs, Département d’études cognitives, École normale supérieure, PSL University, Paris, France tarryn.balsdon@cnrs.fr lj.m.jovanovic@gmail.com
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

A strict lower limit of 400 ms is suggested for the formation of conscious vision. This processing delay could result from the need to create a unified percept over visual features processed with different time constants, and even longer intentional visual processes. Given the flexibility of these processing times, we question the need for a strict lower limit for conscious vision.

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Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e166
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© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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