Hostname: page-component-76d6cb85b7-92wsb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-07-15T17:45:35.980Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Too slow to see? Conscious vision and real-time behavior

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 June 2026

Valtteri Arstila Open the ORCID record for Valtteri Arstila [Opens in a new window]  and
Henry Railo Open the ORCID record for Henry Railo [Opens in a new window]
Valtteri Arstila*
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, Contemporary History and Political Science, University of Turku, Turku, Finland valtteri.arstila@utu.fi https://valtteriarstila.net/
Henry Railo
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland henry.railo@utu.fi https://users.utu.fi/hmrail/
*
*Corresponding author:
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

We challenge Fleming and Michel’s claim that conscious vision is too slow for real-time action. Correlative and functional evidence suggest that conscious perception can emerge around 200 ms post-stimulus and guide behavior. Due to their reliance on rare postdiction effects and assumptions about unconscious vision, they underestimate the speed of conscious vision and overestimate the functional relevance of unconscious vision.

Information

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e165
Check for updates
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Arstila, V. (2015). Keeping postdiction simple. Consciousness and Cognition, 38, 205–216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2015.10.001 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Breitmeyer, B. G., & Öğmen, H. (2006). Visual masking: Time slices through conscious and unconscious vision (Second edition). Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eagleman, D. M., & Sejnowski, T. J. (2007). Motion signals bias localization judgments: A unified explanation for the flash-lag, flash-drag, flash-jump, and Frohlich illusions. Journal of Vision, 7(4), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1167/7.4.3 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Förster, J., Koivisto, M., & Revonsuo, A. (2020). ERP and MEG correlates of visual consciousness: The second decade. Consciousness and Cognition, 80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2020.102917 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ono, F., Yamada, Y., Takahashi, K., Sasaki, K., & Ariga, A. (2023). Backward illusory line motion: Visual motion perception can be influenced by retrospective stimulation. Journal of Vision, 23(6), 6. https://doi.org/10.1167/jov.23.6.6 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kolers, P. A., & Pomerantz, J. R. (1971). Figural change in apparent motion. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 87(1), 99–108. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0030156 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Phillips, I. (2020). Blindsight is qualitatively degraded conscious vision, Psychological Review, 128(3), 558–584. https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000254 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Railo, H. & Hurme, M. (2021). Is the primary visual cortex necessary for blindsight-like behavior? Review of transcranial magnetic stimulation studies in neurologically healthy individuals. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 127, 353–364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.04.038 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Railo, H., Revonsuo, A., & Koivisto, M. (2015). Behavioral and electrophysiological evidence for fast emergence of visual consciousness. Neuroscience of Consciousness. https://doi.org/10.1093/nc/niv004 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Railo, H. & Koivisto, M. (2009). The electrophysiological correlates of stimulus visibility and metacontrast masking. Consciousness and Cognition, 18, 794–803. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2009.01.006 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Strybel, T. Z., & Vatakis, A. (2004). A comparison of auditory and visual apparent motion presented individually and with crossmodal moving distractors. Perception, 33(9), 1033–1048. https://doi.org/10.1068/p5255 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
VanRullen, R., & Koch, C. (2003). Visual selective behavior can be triggered by a feed-forward process. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 15(2), 209–217. https://doi.org/10.1162/089892903321208141 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vorberg, D., Mattler, U., Heinecke, A., Schmidt, T., & Schwarzbach, J. (2003). Different time courses for visual perception and action priming. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 100(10), 6275–6280. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0931489100 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed