© Rinat Laor Ours brains might fully digest sentences before we
even recognized them. New research shows that people can process
short sentences and solve equations before they're aware of the
words and numbers in front of their eyes. The study suggests we
might not actually need full consciousness to perform rule-based
tasks like reading and doing math problems. In a series of
experiments at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, more than 300
student participants were unconsciously exposed to words and
equations through a research technique known as Continuous Flash
Suppression (CFS). With this method, a static image appears in
front of one eye while rapidly changing pictures flash in front
of the other eye. The changing pictures dominate awareness at
first, letting the still image register subliminally before
popping into consciousness. In the first part of the study, one
eye was presented with a static phrase or sentence, which was
"masked" by changing colorful shapes flashing in front of the
other eye. The