Understanding the determinants of consciousness is crucial for theories that see it as functionally adaptive, and for explaining how consciousness affects higher-level cognition. The invention of continuous flash suppression (CFS), a long-duration suppression technique, resulted in a proliferation of research into the process of prioritization for consciousness. We developed a new technique, repeated masked suppression (RMS), that facilitates the measurement of long suppression times, but relies on different visual principles. RMS enables a theoretical leap: It allows scientists to examine the central process of prioritization across different suppression methods. In five experiments (n = 282) we collected chronometric RMS and CFS data, finding that the previously reported face inversion effect and the face priority-dimension generalize beyond CFS. Our results validate the use of multi-method designs in the study of prioritization for consciousness. Furthermore, we show how RMS could be used online to reach diverse samples, previously beyond the reach of consciousness science.

理解意识的决定因素对于将其视为功能适应性的理论以及解释意识如何影响更高层次的认知至关重要。持续闪光抑制 (CFS) 是一种长期抑制技术，它的发明导致了对意识优先排序过程的研究激增。我们开发了一种新技术，即重复掩蔽抑制 (RMS)，它有助于测量长抑制时间，但依赖于不同的视觉原理。RMS 实现了理论上的飞跃：它允许科学家检查不同抑制方法的优先级划分的中心过程。在五个实验 (n = 282) 中，我们收集了计时 RMS 和 CFS 数据，发现先前报告的面部反转效应和面部优先级维度推广到 CFS 之外。我们的结果验证了多方法设计在意识优先排序研究中的使用。此外，我们展示了如何在线使用 RMS 来获取以前超出意识科学范围的各种样本。