Abstract
Can our behavior be motivated by environmental signals that we are not aware of? In this chapter I cast light on this question with a series of experiments investigating whether the human brain can deal with the reward-predicting properties of visual stimuli that subjects cannot consciously perceive. The experimental paradigms designed for this purpose bring together procedures that have been used for decades in separate scientific fields: subliminal perception on one side and incentive motivation on the other. I first sketch a short history of methods and concepts used in these two fields, and then I present neuroimaging studies combining the two approaches to explore subliminal motivation in humans. Specifically, these studies demonstrate that the human brain is able to translate higher subliminal incentives into higher physical effort and to use subliminal cues that predict gambles outcomes to make profitable decisions. Subliminal motivation processes are underpinned by the ventral basal ganglia, under the influence of dopamine. I then suggest some clinical applications using subliminal paradigms to assess the integrity of basic motivation processes in patients while avoiding confounds related to distorted conscious judgments.
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