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On the speed of conscious perception: how soon is now?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 June 2026

William Turner Open the ORCID record for William Turner [Opens in a new window] ,
Hinze Hogendoorn Open the ORCID record for Hinze Hogendoorn [Opens in a new window]  and
Laura Gwilliams Open the ORCID record for Laura Gwilliams [Opens in a new window]
William Turner*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA wft@stanford.edu
Hinze Hogendoorn
Affiliation:
School of Psychology and Counselling, B Wing, QUT O Block D Wing, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, QLD, Australia hinze.hogendoorn@qut.edu.au
Laura Gwilliams
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA wft@stanford.edu Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford Neurosciences Building, 290 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, CA, USA laura.gwilliams@stanford.edu Stanford Data Science, Computing and Data Science (CoDa), 389 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

Fleming and Michel propose that conscious perception is “slow”, with a delay of 350–450ms. But this claim is premature. Here, we will show that the speed of conscious perception remains unresolved. Examining evidence from vision and language research, we will explore how this fundamental question may ultimately be answered to test the validity of this foundational claim.

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e195
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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