Perceptual decisions are biased toward relevant prior choices
Abstract Perceptual decisions are biased by recent perceptual history—a phenomenon termed 'serial dependence.' Here, we investigated what aspects of perceptual decisions lead to serial dependence, and disambiguated the influences of low-level sensory information, prior choices and motor ac...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-80128-0 |
| _version_ | 1818733746632785920 |
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| author | Helen Feigin Shira Baror Moshe Bar Adam Zaidel |
| author_facet | Helen Feigin Shira Baror Moshe Bar Adam Zaidel |
| author_sort | Helen Feigin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Perceptual decisions are biased by recent perceptual history—a phenomenon termed 'serial dependence.' Here, we investigated what aspects of perceptual decisions lead to serial dependence, and disambiguated the influences of low-level sensory information, prior choices and motor actions. Participants discriminated whether a brief visual stimulus lay to left/right of the screen center. Following a series of biased ‘prior’ location discriminations, subsequent ‘test’ location discriminations were biased toward the prior choices, even when these were reported via different motor actions (using different keys), and when the prior and test stimuli differed in color. By contrast, prior discriminations about an irrelevant stimulus feature (color) did not substantially influence subsequent location discriminations, even though these were reported via the same motor actions. Additionally, when color (not location) was discriminated, a bias in prior stimulus locations no longer influenced subsequent location discriminations. Although low-level stimuli and motor actions did not trigger serial-dependence on their own, similarity of these features across discriminations boosted the effect. These findings suggest that relevance across perceptual decisions is a key factor for serial dependence. Accordingly, serial dependence likely reflects a high-level mechanism by which the brain predicts and interprets new incoming sensory information in accordance with relevant prior choices. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T23:54:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-700411151f234bb49d69251f09dc52a4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T23:54:22Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-700411151f234bb49d69251f09dc52a42022-12-21T21:28:06ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222021-01-0111111610.1038/s41598-020-80128-0Perceptual decisions are biased toward relevant prior choicesHelen Feigin0Shira Baror1Moshe Bar2Adam Zaidel3The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan UniversityThe Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan UniversityThe Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan UniversityThe Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan UniversityAbstract Perceptual decisions are biased by recent perceptual history—a phenomenon termed 'serial dependence.' Here, we investigated what aspects of perceptual decisions lead to serial dependence, and disambiguated the influences of low-level sensory information, prior choices and motor actions. Participants discriminated whether a brief visual stimulus lay to left/right of the screen center. Following a series of biased ‘prior’ location discriminations, subsequent ‘test’ location discriminations were biased toward the prior choices, even when these were reported via different motor actions (using different keys), and when the prior and test stimuli differed in color. By contrast, prior discriminations about an irrelevant stimulus feature (color) did not substantially influence subsequent location discriminations, even though these were reported via the same motor actions. Additionally, when color (not location) was discriminated, a bias in prior stimulus locations no longer influenced subsequent location discriminations. Although low-level stimuli and motor actions did not trigger serial-dependence on their own, similarity of these features across discriminations boosted the effect. These findings suggest that relevance across perceptual decisions is a key factor for serial dependence. Accordingly, serial dependence likely reflects a high-level mechanism by which the brain predicts and interprets new incoming sensory information in accordance with relevant prior choices.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-80128-0 |
| spellingShingle | Helen Feigin Shira Baror Moshe Bar Adam Zaidel Perceptual decisions are biased toward relevant prior choices Scientific Reports |
| title | Perceptual decisions are biased toward relevant prior choices |
| title_full | Perceptual decisions are biased toward relevant prior choices |
| title_fullStr | Perceptual decisions are biased toward relevant prior choices |
| title_full_unstemmed | Perceptual decisions are biased toward relevant prior choices |
| title_short | Perceptual decisions are biased toward relevant prior choices |
| title_sort | perceptual decisions are biased toward relevant prior choices |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-80128-0 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT helenfeigin perceptualdecisionsarebiasedtowardrelevantpriorchoices AT shirabaror perceptualdecisionsarebiasedtowardrelevantpriorchoices AT moshebar perceptualdecisionsarebiasedtowardrelevantpriorchoices AT adamzaidel perceptualdecisionsarebiasedtowardrelevantpriorchoices |