Combining psychophysics and functional MRI reveals a qualitative asymmetry in neural engagement when reflecting on whether a stimulus is seen (detection) compared to reflecting on what a stimulus is (discrimination).

Perceptual decision making, even in simple scenarios, is affected by sensory and decisional choice biases.

Statistical analysis of evidence-based decisions reveals new insights into the source of behavioral variability.

Consideration of signal detection theory shows how decision ecology relates to optimal collective decisions, helping explain the prevalence of quorum-sensing in even the simplest collective systems, such as bacterial communities.

The attentional blink selectively impairs one component of attention, and impacts both target detection and discrimination via separable neural signatures.

The neural basis of consciousness is confounded by the mismatch between what participants report about their experience versus what they actually experience.

Fluctuations of spectral power in large-scale cortical networks shape behavior in a perceptual decision-making task through arousal-linked and arousal-independent mechanisms.

Modulation of moment-to-moment irregularity of neural activity closely tracks our ability to flexibly adapt decision biases to the environment.

As a group, inattentionally blind participants can successfully report the location, color, and shape of stimuli they deny noticing, and exhibit a systematic bias to report not noticing.

Cautious reporting choices can artificially enhance how well analyses of brain activity reflect conscious and unconscious experiences, making distinguishing between the two more challenging.