Fechner as a pioneering theorist of unconscious cognition

► Fechner was one of the major theorists of unconscious cognition of the 19th century. ► His theory is examined in its context and in the light of current cognitive studies. ► For him unconscious mental states are dissociated and functionally autonomous. ► This conception is reminiscent of modern investigations on unconscious cognition. ► The cognitive unconscious has a long history and was theorized in the 19th century.