Abstract：
The level-of-processing (LoP) hypothesis postulates that transition from unaware to aware visual stimuli is either graded or dichotomous depending on the depth of stimulus processing. Humans can be progressively aware of the low-level features, such as colors or shapes, while the high-level features, such as semantic category, enter consciousness in an all-or none fashion. Unlike in vision, sounds always unfold in time, which might require mechanisms dissimilar from visual processing. We tested the LoP hypothesis in hearing for the first time by presenting participants with words of different categories, spoken in different pitches near the perceptual threshold. We also assessed whether different electrophysiological correlates of consciousness, the auditory awareness negativity (AAN) and late positivity (LP), were associated with LoP. Our findings indicate that LoP also applies to the auditory modality. AAN is an early correlate of awareness independent of LoP, while LP was modulated by awareness, performance accuracy and the level of processing.
摘要：
处理水平（LoP）假设假定，根据刺激处理的深度，从感知到感知的视觉刺激的过渡是分级的或二分的。人类可以逐渐意识到低级特征，如颜色或形状，而高级功能，例如语义类别，以全然或无的方式进入意识。与视觉不同，声音总是在时间上展开，这可能需要与视觉处理不同的机制。我们首次通过向参与者展示不同类别的单词来测试LoP假设，在感知阈值附近以不同的音调说话。我们还评估了意识的不同电生理相关性，听觉意识消极(AAN)和晚期积极(LP)，与LoP有关。我们的发现表明LoP也适用于听觉模态。AAN是独立于LoP的意识的早期相关因素，而LP是由意识调节的，性能准确性和处理水平。
