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Serial dependence in the perception of attractiveness
Ye Xia1, Allison Yamanashi Leib2, David Whitney3
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USAyexia@berkeley.edu.
Journal of Vision
|December 23, 2016
Summary
Facial attractiveness perception is influenced by recent visual experiences, a phenomenon known as serial dependence. This study confirms this effect is real and not due to response bias.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Perception of attractiveness is crucial for various life choices.
- Perceptual stability is maintained despite image variations (occlusion, noise).
- Serial dependence biases perception towards recent stimuli, observed for low-level features and identity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate serial dependence in perceived facial attractiveness.
- To determine if previous findings were influenced by response bias.
Main Methods:
- An attractiveness-rating task was employed.
- Participants rated the attractiveness of facial images.
- The influence of recently viewed faces (up to 6s prior) was analyzed.
Main Results:
- Perceived facial attractiveness was significantly influenced by the attractiveness of previously viewed faces.
- This serial dependence effect was independent of response bias and motor responses.
- The perceptual pull intensified with greater differences in attractiveness between sequential stimuli.
Conclusions:
- Serial dependence exists for perceived facial attractiveness, confirming its presence at higher levels of visual processing.
- The findings reconcile conflicting previous research on attractiveness perception.
- Sequential dependence in perception operates across multiple levels of visual analysis.
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