Conscious Processing Research Articles

Non-Conscious Detection of "Missed" Lung Nodules by Radiologists: Expanding the Boundaries of Successful Processing During the Visual Assessment of Chest CT Scans.

"Just Accepted" papers have undergone full peer review and have been accepted for publication in Radiology: Artificial Intelligence. This article will undergo copyediting, layout, and proof review before it is published in its final version. Please note that during production of the final copyedited article, errors may be discovered which could affect the content. Background Diagnostic error rates for detecting small lung nodules on chest CT scans remain high at 50%, despite advances in imaging technology and radiologist training. These failure rates may stem from limitations in conscious recognition processes. However, successful visual processes may be detecting the nodule independent of the radiologist's report. Purpose To investigate visual processing in radiologists during the assessment of chest nodules to determine if radiologists have successful non-conscious processes that detect lung nodules on chest CT examinations even when not consciously recognized or considered, as evidenced by changes in how long they look (dwell time) and pupil size to missed nodules. Materials and Methods This prospective study, conducted from [8/14] to [09/23], compared 6 experienced radiologists with 6 medically naïve control participants. Participants viewed 18 chest CTs (9 abnormal with 16 nodules, 9 normal) to detect lung nodules. High-speed video eye-tracking measured gaze duration and pupil size (indicating physiological arousal) at missed nodule locations and same locations on normal CTs. The reference standard was the known presence or absence of nodules (as determined by a 4-radiologist consensus panel) in abnormal and normal CTs, respectively. Primary outcome measures were detection rates of nodules, dwell time and pupil size at nodule locations versus normal tissue. Paired t-tests were used for statistical analysis. Results Twelve participants (6 radiologists [9.3 average years of radiological experience]) 6 controls (with no radiological experience) were evaluated. Radiologists missed on average 59% of these lung nodules. For missed nodules, radiologists exhibited longer dwell times (Mean: 228 milliseconds vs 175 milliseconds, P=.005) and larger pupil area (Mean: 1446 pixels vs. 1349 pixels, P=.04.) than normal tissue. Control participants showed no differences in dwell time (Mean: 197 milliseconds vs 180 milliseconds, P= .64) or pupil size (Mean: 1426 pixels vs. 1714 pixels, P=.23) for missed nodules than normal tissue locations. Conclusion Radiologists non-conscious processes during visual assessment of a CT examination can detect lung nodules on chest CTs even when conscious recognition fails, as evidenced by increased dwell time and larger pupil size. This successful non-conscious detection is a result of general radiology training.

The Contribution of Transpersonal Psychology to The Emotional, Mental, and Spiritual Well-Being of Individuals

This research explores the impact of transpersonal psychology on the emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being of individuals. The study aims to understand how mindfulness, meditation, and holotropic therapy contribute to holistic well-being. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, the research involved 20 participants, 12 males and eight females, aged between 25 and 60 years, from various holotropic therapy centers, meditation communities, and mindfulness groups across different ethnicities in Indonesia, including Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese. Key informants included experts in transpersonal psychology; supporting informants were individuals directly engaged in these practices. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and participatory observation, then analyzed using thematic analysis with NVivo software. The findings indicate that transpersonal psychology significantly enhances participants' overall well-being by providing tools for deeper self-exploration, trauma healing, and spiritual development. Practices like mindfulness and meditation fostered present-moment awareness and emotional balance, while holotropic therapy facilitated access to higher states of consciousness and emotional processing. Integrating these practices into daily life helped individuals maintain a connection with their transpersonal awareness, even amidst daily challenges. This study underscores the importance of a holistic approach in psychology that includes the spiritual dimension, offering insights into how transpersonal psychology can support comprehensive personal growth and well-being.

Anesthesia alters complexity of spontaneous and stimulus-related neuronal firing patterns in rat visual cortex

Complexity of neuronal firing patterns may serve as an indicator of sensory information processing across different states of consciousness. Recent studies have shown that spontaneous changes in brain states can occur during general anesthesia, which may influence neuronal complexity and the state of consciousness. In this study, we investigated how the firing patterns of cortical neurons, both at rest and during visual stimulation, are affected by spontaneously changing brain states under varying levels of anesthesia. Extracellular unit activity was measured in the primary visual cortex of unrestrained rats as the inhaled concentration of desflurane was incrementally reduced to 6%, 4%, 2%, and 0%. Using dimensionality reduction and density-based clustering on individual unit activities, we identified five distinct population states, which underwent dynamic transitions independent of the anesthetic level during both resting and stimulus conditions. One population state that occurred mainly in deep anesthesia exhibited a paradoxically increased number of active neurons and asynchronous spiking, suggesting a spontaneous reversal towards an awake-like condition. However, this was contradicted by the observation of low neuronal complexity in both spontaneous and stimulus-related spike activity, which more closely aligns with unconsciousness. Our findings reveal that transient neuronal states with distinct spiking patterns can emerge in visual cortex at constant anesthetic concentrations. The reduced complexity in states associated with deep anesthesia likely indicates a disruption of conscious sensory information processing.

Functions of consciousness in emotional processing.

Contrary to the leading theories of consciousness on offer, it is a fruitful working hypothesis that conscious experiences facilitate a variety of functional capacities that are distinct to particular psychological tasks, individuals, and species (i.e., functional pluralism). In this paper, I illustrate this novel methodological point by identifying some of the functional contributions that consciousness makes to (human) emotional processing. I first consolidate empirical evidence of the capacities and limitations of unconscious emotional processing, drawing on a) experimental paradigms that employ the tools of vision science (masking and suppression of emotionally relevant stimuli), and b) theoretical and clinical research on emotional disorder (Generalized Anxiety Disorder). After comparing the functional characteristics of unconscious and conscious emotional processes, I argue that conscious experiences facilitate a cluster of functions that are specific to emotion, including increased capacities for representing fine-grained evaluative information, inhibition, and flexible response.

Neural markers of error processing relate to task performance, but not to substance-related risks and problems and externalizing problems in adolescence and emerging adulthood.

Detecting errors and adapting behavior accordingly constitutes an integral aspect of cognition. Previous studies have linked neural correlates of error processing (e.g., error-related negativity (ERN) and error-related positivity (Pe)) to task performance and broader behavioral constructs, but few studies examined how these associations manifest in adolescence. In this study, we examined neural error processing markers and their behavioral associations in an adolescent/emerging adult sample (N = 143, Mage = 18.0 years, range 11-25 years), employing a stop-signal task. Linear regressions were conducted using bootstrap resampling to explore associations between ERN/Pe peak amplitudes and latencies, stop accuracy, stop-signal reaction time (SSRT), and post-error slowing, as well as self-reported substance-related risks and problems and externalizing problems. After adjusting for age and sex, smaller frontocentral Pe amplitude and later Pe latency were associated with longer SSRT, and later Pe latency was associated with lower stop accuracy. This might indicate that the Pe, which is thought to reflect conscious error processing, reflects task performance on a response inhibition task better than the ERN, which reflects subconscious error processing. After correcting for multiple testing, there were no associations between ERN/Pe parameters and substance-related or externalizing problems, and no age interactions for these associations were detected.

Beyond conventional rehabilitation: an observational study on RYSEN body weight supported gait training in individuals after stroke and spinal cord injury

Purpose The RYSEN body weight support device enables multidirectional overground gait training and can be combined with augmented reality (RYSEN-AR). The aim of this study was to investigate differences in training goals, intensity and acceptance between RYSEN, RYSEN-AR and conventional gait training (CGT) during rehabilitation. Materials and Methods Eleven individuals after stroke (60.1 ± 13.4 years) and eleven individuals with SCI (66.5 ± 13.2 years) performed CGT, RYSEN and RYSEN-AR as part of their rehabilitation program. Heart rate and trunk accelerometry data were collected to assess training intensity. Patients rated their confidence in balance control, level of conscious movement processing and training experiences using questionnaires. Therapists reported their intended training goals. The (interaction) effects of modality and group on these outcomes were assessed using linear mixed-effects models. Results Training intensity in terms of heart rate and trunk accelerometry did not differ between modalities. Confidence in balance control was higher during RYSEN-AR than during CGT (p = 0.004). The level of conscious movement processing did not differ between modalities. Training goals did not considerably differ between modalities overall. RYSEN and RYSEN-AR training were well-accepted among patients and therapists. Conclusions In current practice, there is limited distinction in terms of training intensity and goals between RYSEN and RYSEN-AR training relative to CGT. Further research, guideline development and implementation strategies are needed to use the RYSEN to its full potential in rehabilitation practice.

A018: Dual-Process Advantages of Ball Players in Sport-Related Domains

Background: Based on a dual-process framework, two qualitatively different modes of processing guide human behaviour. Type 1 processes refer to automatic, unconscious processing that can be responsible for Task 1, while Type 2 processes refer to controlled, conscious processing required by Task 2. Although many existing sport psychology studies emphasize that the dual-process model can be applied to the sports domain, this application has shortcomings. The first debate of this application is whether dual-process advantages in athletes are limited to sport-specific realms. Furthermore, although the dual-process framework pays more attention to automatic processes (Type 1 processes), it loses sight of subliminal processes, as well as the combination between subliminal processes (Type 1 processes) and working memory processes (Type 2 processes), which is more associated with real competitive game situations. The second controversy is the relationship between the two processing types. Therefore, the present article aimed to answer two questions: (1) whether athletes show better performance in the dual-process situation when the stimuli are not related or related to their expertise domain, and (2) whether dual processes compete for cognitive resources, that is, whether working memory load influences subliminal priming. Methods: The study used a mixed factorial design of 2 (subjects: athletes vs. non-athletes) x 2 (load: low vs. high) x 2 (consistency: consistent vs. inconsistent). A novel dual-process paradigm was developed, where participants performed a subliminal priming task while completing a working memory task. The memory materials were digits and the subliminal stimuli were either unrelated to (Experiment 1) or related to (Experiment 2) specialized athletic experience. Electroencephalography was employed in this study. Sixty aged-matched competitive table tennis players and 60 non-athletes participated. Results: The results showed that there was no significant difference between athletes and non-athletes in the performance of subliminal processing under working memory load in Experiment 1; however, in Experiment 2, athletes were significantly better than non-athletes. Additionally, subliminal priming remained unaffected with increasing working memory load among both athletes and non-athletes. Cross-experiment analyses revealed a significant four-way interaction effect of experiment x group x load x consistency. Conclusions: These results suggest that athletes show better performance in the dual-process situation when the stimuli are related to their expertise domain. In addition, dual processes compete for cognitive resources, that is, working memory load influences subliminal priming.

Investigating covert awareness in individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease using functional near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)

AbstractBackgroundAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a form of dementia that impairs memory, language, and daily functioning. With disease progression, AD patients reportedly experience disturbances in their awareness of self, others, and their environment. These disturbances are associated with unfavourable clinical outcomes, which prompts critical questions about how AD patients experience the world around them. The present study utilizes a validated neuroimaging paradigm to ‘map’ conscious experiences through changes in brain activity. The premise is that similarity (i.e., synchrony) in conscious experiences of different people can be detected by investigating activity in fronto‐parietal areas linked with higher‐order processing essential for plot‐following. This paradigm was previously used to assess conscious states of behaviorally non‐responsive brain‐injured patients, showing that the internal mental experience of some patients was similar to that of healthy controls.MethodsIn this study, patients with mild‐moderate AD (n = 9) and age‐matched healthy controls (n = 29) underwent a 40‐minute functional near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) scan. During the scan, participants watched two short movies, each with an intact‐ and scrambled‐plot version. Scrambled versions were included to demonstrate that synchrony was associated with higher‐order processing rather than the mere presentation of audio‐visual stimuli. Inter‐subject correlations (i.e., Pearson correlation coefficients between the hemodynamic activity of one or more AD patients and the remaining participants, including healthy controls) were used as the metric for synchrony.ResultsCompared to the scrambled plot conditions, healthy controls showed robust synchronization in the frontal and parietal regions in the intact‐plot conditions. AD patients, in contrast, did not demonstrate a consistent pattern of synchronization in these regions during the intact‐plot conditions. Single‐subject analyses (i.e., comparing individual patients to the control group) further revealed that only one AD patient exhibited some degree of synchronization with the healthy controls during the audio‐visual stimuli.ConclusionThese preliminary findings indicate that AD patients may be experiencing the world differently from healthy individuals. The variability noted in synchronization across AD patients may be reflective of the heterogeneity in disease‐related impairments. Understanding deficits and patient needs from the lens of impaired conscious processing could support disease prognosis and promote improvements in person‐centered care.

공작새 상징에 대한 연구

This study aims to explore the universal symbolic meanings of the peacock by examining its ecological characteristics and its depictions in myths and legends, fables, literary works, religion, and art. Based on these considerations, the study seeks to understand the symbolic meaning of the peacock in sandplay therapy cases from an analytical psychology perspective. The symbolism of peacocks was considered in six aspects: sacredness, good fortune and wealth, beauty, power (power), healing and regeneration, and immortality, and we looked at how these symbols were expressed in the process of sand play therapy. As a result of examining the symbolism of peacocks in the sand play treatment case, In the first case an adolescent client who was emotionally influenced by a mother experiencing stress and depression during pregnancy expressed their fundamental and unconscious inner sanctity. In the second case, it appeared in terms of the colorful and imposing power latent in the unconscious, and the third case in terms of the authoritative power that wanted to show off the pride of the peacock with its wings wide open. The last case was a case of a single mother woman in her 20s, who expressed the possibility of a detoxification action that allowed peacocks to heal and regenerate diseases from the harms of poisonous insects or poisonous snakes. She also demonstrated the process of realizing the state in which her elegant and noble beauty could not spread her wings and was latent in the unconscious through the peacock. Clients experienced the process of consciousness while expressing various hidden instincts through the symbolism of peacocks in sand play therapy, and for counselors, it is a significant study from the perspective of deeper understanding, empathy, and acceptance of clients.

Partisan winds: Group-level polarization and issue-framing propel attitudes about local wind farms

Political polarization is an obstacle to public support and effective communication for renewable energy projects. Depolarizing messages can be helpful, but it is difficult to determine where to concentrate efforts until social scientists first disentangle the effects of unconscious issue-based and conscious group norm-based polarization processes. This study investigates the extent to which attitudes towards wind energy development are polarized in the United States, focusing on attitudes about local wind farms. We tested different frames in a survey with 1300 U.S. participants, combining implicit and explicit attitude measures to measure unconscious and conscious attitudes towards nearby wind farms, respectively. Our findings suggest that explicit attitudes towards wind farms are more polarized than implicit attitudes, emphasizing the role of conscious processes in shaping attitudes. Furthermore, perceptions of within-party support significantly influence explicit attitudes, indicating the importance of group norm-based polarization in this context. While our framing interventions aimed at addressing issue-based polarization yielded mixed results, the moderating effect of perceived within-party support underscores the potential efficacy of interventions targeting group-level processes. Regarding policy implications, our findings highlight the importance of considering both issue-based and group norm-based polarization when developing and implementing communication strategies for garnering local support for nearby renewable energy developments.

Who is a reasoner?*

ABSTRACT This paper aims to make progress in understanding the nature of reasoning. Its primary goal is to defend a novel account of what reasoning might be, in terms of how reasoning contributes to settling (practical and theoretical) inquiries. Prior to spelling out this constructive proposal, however, the paper problematizes a very common picture of reasoning in an attempt to demonstrate the need for an alternative approach. The overarching argument of the paper is comprised of three stages. The first attacks the predominant conception of reasoning for its specious restriction to fully conscious and explicit episodes. The second stage offers a replacement for this faulty conception, according to which a reasoning agent is one who may be represented as if she were undergoing a fully conscious and explicit process. Finally, the last stage proposes one way to fill in the above schema, articulating and defending conditions for representing agents as reasoning fully consciously and explicitly. Each of the above stages is independent of the others: One may accept that reasoning need not be conscious and explicit but reject the schema proposed as a replacement; and again, the schema may be accepted but not the particular proposal for filling it in.

Sustainable Fashion: Definitions and Their Interpretation in the Ukrainian Scientific Discourse

The aim of the article is to analyse and systematise existing definitions and translation options for the sustainable fashion term in the Ukrainian language; to outline the difference of this term with the concept of “ecological fashion” taking into account their tendencies to evolve, as well as to clear up definite terms. Research methods: the method of comparative analysis of scientific publications in the fashion sphere, as well as methods of synthesis and generalisation are applied. Scientific novelty: the existing definitions and translations of sustainable fashion in the Ukrainian scientific discourse are analysed and systematised, and the tendencies of their usage with a certain semantic load are traced. The definitions of sustainability in fashion design in the publications of Ukrainian scientists are presented in the table. The practical significance of the work grounds in the possibility of using the results of the study for rethinking and forming a holistic system of ideas about the concept of sustainability in fashion of Ukraine, where each component is an important part of achieving the goal. Conclusions. At the moment, the study proves that a set expression “sustainable fashion”, taking into account the concept of “sustainable development”, can be considered as the most appropriate translation of the term sustainable fashion, which is a significant basis for this translation. Understanding the concept of sustainability in fashion of Ukraine, a deep understanding of its principles and mechanisms of action emphasises the designer’s activity and stakeholders on the use of conscious and thoughtful processes, technologies, materials. In addition, as a result of the analysis, it can be concluded that it is important to translate and adapt the English-language terminology from the fashion design design for use in Ukraine, which actualises the awareness and understanding of multiple processes that influence the formation of approaches to fashion based on the principles of sustainability.

Resource doll as a means of self-support in art therapy in conditions of war

Introduction. In order to find sources of vitality in art therapy, various types and means of art are widely used, which help the participants of art therapy practices to realize their unique individual life scenarios. A doll, as an anthropomorphic character for an adult, can become a cultural mediator, because it, as a means of psychological transfer, acts as a kind of an individual’s avatar. In art therapy, the creation of a doll and endowment it with symbolic content can fill a person's creative activity with a resourceful life-affirming meaning, especially in the conditions of war. Aim: to analyze the possibilities of a resource doll for teachers in art education as an art therapy personal self-support tool in life crises. Methods: analysis and systematization of literature; theoretical analysis of the problem; analysis of the results of the assignments performed by the trainees of the State Scientific and Methodological Center "Psychological Support by Art Workshop". program. Results. A resource doll was shown to be an effective art therapy tool in providing individuals’ self-support in life crises. The results of the assignments performed by the trainees of the State Scientific and Methodological Center "Psychological Support by Art Workshop". program allowed determining the types of the trainees’ visual images, the most common of which was the Motanka doll, the verbal manifestations that were broadcast by the doll’s "advice" and were related to individuals’ self-support and self-help. The choice of the concept, type, color, and material used for making resource dolls was based on subconscious and conscious processes that reflected the participants' experience and attitude to existing social situations. Conclusions. Creating dolls helped the participants to reveal their inner world, social positions, intellectual qualities, creativity, sense of humor, creative potential in general as psychological self-help potentials. The findings presented in the article may promote a resource doll as an art therapy self-support tool in life crises.

Book review: Unravelling unauthorized migrants’ legal consciousness processes by Mieke Kox

Book review: <i>Unravelling unauthorized migrants’ legal consciousness processes</i> by Mieke Kox

Neural signatures of visual awareness independent of postperceptual processing.

What are the neural processes associated with perceptual awareness that are distinct from preconscious sensory encoding and postperceptual processes such as reporting an experience? Using electroencephalography and a no-report visual masking paradigm, we manipulated stimulus visibility by varying the time between stimuli and masks in linear steps (17, 33, 50, 67, and 83ms). Awareness increased nonlinearly, with stimuli never seen at the two shortest intervals, always seen at the two longest, and 50% seen at the intermediate interval. Separate report and no-report conditions were used to isolate awareness from task performance. Our results revealed a neural signal closely linked to perceptual awareness, independent of the task: a fronto-central event-related potential that we refer to as the N2 (~250 to 300ms). Earlier event-related potential signals reflected the linear manipulation of stimulus strength, while later signals like P3b and temporal generalization of decoding were tied to task performance, appearing only in the report condition. Taken together, these findings inform current debates regarding theories of consciousness and offer new avenues for exploring the neural mechanisms supporting conscious processing.

Consciousness and Energy Processing in Neural Systems.

Our understanding of the relationship between neural activity and psychological states has advanced greatly in recent decades. But we are still unable to explain conscious experience in terms of physical processes occurring in our brains. This paper introduces a conceptual framework that may contribute to an explanation. All physical processes entail the transfer, transduction, and transformation of energy between portions of matter as work is performed in material systems. If the production of consciousness in nervous systems is a physical process, then it must entail the same. Here the nervous system, and the brain in particular, is considered as a material system that transfers, transduces, and transforms energy as it performs biophysical work. Evidence from neuroscience suggests that conscious experience is produced in the organic matter of nervous systems when they perform biophysical work at classical and quantum scales with a certain level of dynamic complexity or organization. An empirically grounded, falsifiable, and testable hypothesis is offered to explain how energy processing in nervous systems may produce conscious experience at a fundamental physical level.

Resistances to critical language awareness: understanding the role of social class and double consciousness

ABSTRACT Drawing from students’ reflections, classroom observations, and individual interviews, this study examines the case of a Spanish for Heritage speakers class comprised of Heritage Speakers (HS) and international Latin American students in a predominantly white institution (PWI). Focusing on the development of Critical Language Awareness (CLA) , this study shows the various forms of resistance toward these pedagogies (e.g. withdrawal, class divisions, turning to meritocratic answers, among others) across students of different social classes (upper-middle class, working-class, international students from Latin America). This study demonstrates how students resisted structural explanations around Spanish language maintenance, instead resorting to either meritocratic understandings or the family as the primary locus of language maintenance. The epistemological concept of ‘double consciousness frames the experiences of working-class HSs who struggled between feelings of empowerment through CLA and negative perceptions of their own linguistic practices. These feelings were mediated by the challenge of affirming their language identities in the context of a PWI that privileges upper-middle-class cultural values. The study argues that while CLA begins a process of critical consciousness, we need to pay attention to the contextual factors and dynamics that lead to different forms of resistance.

Cognitive emotional regulation in physiotherapy students in Croatia

ABSTRACT Background Cognitive emotional regulation refers to a conscious or unconscious process that affects an individual's emotions and the physical and mental health of the individual. The aim of this study was to detect strategies of cognitive emotional regulation used by physiotherapy students in stressful situations. Methods The study was conducted from January to March 2022 and enrolled 372 students. An announcement was posted electronically on the web page of each physiotherapy study in Croatia, inviting students to participate in the study. Each participant provided written informed consent. The Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire was used in the study for detecting cognitive emotional strategies that students use in stressful situations. Statistical analysis of data included descriptive statistics of data groups where values were expressed as mean and standard deviation. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov test was used to test the normality of the distribution. To test the differences between two independent groups, the Mann–Whitney U rank sum test was applied, while the non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis test was used to test the differences of several subgroups of variables. Categorical variables were tested with Fischer's exact test or chi-square test. Results The most frequently used emotional cognitive regulation strategies are acceptance and positive reappraisal. There is a statistically significant difference in the use of self-blame (p < .001), rumination (p < .001) and blaming others (p = 0.018) in relation to gender. Also, there is a statistically significant difference in the use of acceptance (p = 0.022), rumination (p < .001) and blaming others (p = 0.049) in relation to the year of study. Conclusion Education of physiotherapy students to the use of adaptive strategies could have a positive effect on the students’ learning quality, their decision–making abilities and the quality of physiotherapy provided to patients. Encouraging physiotherapy students to engage in cognitively adaptive ways of thinking can serve as a solid method to help students in an academic and professional environment.

Zooming In: A Review of Designing for Photo Taking in Human-Computer Interaction and Future Prospects

Photography has been pivotal in culture for decades and its importance has increased with the rise of digital technology. However, the exploration of picture taking within the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) community does not seem to match its cultural and technological significance. Recognizing this discrepancy, we sought to understand areas of interest in photography as a conscious creative process. To address this issue, we performed a systematic literature review using the PRISMA methodology. From our research, we identified 62 pertinent papers spanning from 2005 to 2022. Our examination revealed six primary dimensions, further classified into study type, design goal, photo-taking style, device type, interaction style, and number of users. In-depth analysis showed the dominant role of exploratory and functional research, the balance between qualitative and quantitative methods, and a strong focus on smartphone cameras. Our review has highlighted significant gaps in the existing literature, offering valuable insights for future research on photo taking.

Conscious and Unconscious Processes in the Arithmetic Priming Task Depend on the Arithmetic Skill

The study examined the role of conscious and unconscious processes depending on the level of arithmetic skill. The participants were divided into two groups according to their arithmetic skill based on the calculation fluency test results. Masked and unmasked single-digit addition problems (primes) followed by correct and incorrect results were presented on the screen. In a conscious perception task (unmasked priming), when large and small problem results were presented, an arithmetic N400 and LPC effects were observed in both groups. In the case of unconscious perception (masked priming), when small problem results were presented, the LPC effect was observed in the group with low arithmetic skill. The fact that the LPC arithmetic effect was discovered during the unconscious presentation may indicate the automatic nature of the encoding and retrieving information processes, reflecting neurophysiological characteristics associated with the level of arithmetic skill.