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Updated: Mar 19, 2026
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Cross-Modal Multivariate Pattern Analysis
Published on: November 9, 2011
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Serial Dependence in Perceptual Decisions Is Reflected in Activity Patterns in Primary Visual Cortex
Elexa St John-Saaltink1, Peter Kok1, Hakwan C Lau2
1Radboud University, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and.
Summary
Previous visual stimuli bias current perception, a phenomenon known as serial dependence. This study reveals that neural activity in early visual cortex (V1) also shows this bias, suggesting perceptual history shapes sensory processing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Visual Perception
Background:
- The brain uses regularities in sensory input, like world stability, to form expectations.
- Serial dependence is a perceptual bias where recent stimuli influence current perception, making new stimuli seem similar to previous ones.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural basis of serial dependence in visual perception.
- To determine if serial dependence originates in early sensory areas or higher-level decision-making areas.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to record brain activity in human subjects.
- Participants made orientation decisions on visual grating stimuli.
- Neural activity patterns in the visual cortex were analyzed in relation to stimulus history.
Main Results:
- Behavioral reports showed a bias toward the previously presented orientation, confirming serial dependence.
- Neural signals in the primary visual cortex (V1) were similarly biased toward the previous trial's orientation.
- Both perceptual and neural effects were spatially specific, occurring only when stimuli were presented in the same visual field location.
Conclusions:
- Serial dependence in perceptual decisions may stem from neural biases in early sensory cortex.
- Recent perceptual history directly influences neural representations in V1.
- This provides a neural correlate for how past experiences shape current visual perception.
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