Can working memory performance be disrupted by distractors under the threshold of consciousness?

Working Memory (WM) processes are intricately connected to consciousness. However, previous research suggests that non-conscious stimuli can be processed and maintained long enough to influence WM performance questioning the implicitly accepted parallel between WM and consciousness. In particular, it remains unclear if processing of non-conscious information taps into attentional resources as processing of conscious items does. To answer this question, three different experiments were designed: In Experiment 1 we started by investigating the impact of items presented above versus below the threshold of consciousness. In Experiment 2 we questioned whether an increase in task difficulty could lead to a greater impact of non-conscious distractors on WM. Finally, in Experiment 3 we tested whether processing non-conscious distractors had a similar impact on WM as processing conscious distractors. Findings consistently showed that non-conscious distractors interfere with WM recall and directly affect target maintenance when they are explicitly processed.