# The Critical Trigger for Cognitive Penetration: Cognitive Processing Priority over Perceptual Processing

## TL;DR

This study explores how cognitive processing can influence perception, finding that prioritizing cognition over perception is key to cognitive penetration.

## Contribution

The study identifies cognitive processing priority as a critical trigger for cognitive penetration, offering new empirical evidence.

## Key findings

- Cognitive processing priority over perceptual processing is critical for cognitive penetration.
- Manipulating processing priority across experiments confirmed the role of cognition in influencing perception.

## Abstract

The visual perception system of humans is susceptible to cognitive influence, which implies the existence of cognitive perception. However, the specifical trigger for cognitive penetration is still a matter of controversy. The current study proposed that the cognitive processing priority over perceptual processing might be critical for inducing cognitive penetration. We tested this hypothesis by manipulating the processing priority between cognition and perception across three experiments where participants were asked to complete a size-judging task under different competing conditions between cognition and perception. To sum up, we proved that the cognitive processing priority over perceptual processing is critical for cognitive penetration. This study provided empirical evidence for the critical trigger for cognitive penetration.