Ss were shown tachistoscopically-presented word stimuli to test the distinction between the perceptual processes of registration (what could be called physiological or sensory threshold) and awareness (or the cognitive threshold). The presentation consisted of a stimulus word followed by series of words associated to the stimulus word either in terms of meaning or structural resemblance. Recall of words presented subliminally or supraliminally was facilitated with degree of awareness of actual stimulus word; with greater awareness of the word, associational recall was for words that structurally resembled S word; without awareness, recall was determined by associative meaning.