A postdictive bias associated with déjà vu

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience of Memory

Background:

• Déjà vu is often associated with a predictive bias, an illusory feeling of anticipating future events.
• Previous research suggests a link between déjà vu and the sense of prediction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between déjà vu and postdictive biases.
• To explore the relationship between déjà vu, predictive and postdictive biases, and perceived scene familiarity.

Main Methods:

• Participants underwent a virtual tour, reporting feelings of prediction and experiencing déjà vu.
• Post-event, participants' sense of the scene unfolding as expected was assessed.
• The intensity of perceived scene familiarity was measured following déjà vu reports.

Main Results:

• Déjà vu reports were associated with a predictive bias, consistent with prior research.
• A significant postdictive bias was observed, where participants felt events unfolded as expected after déjà vu.
• This postdictive bias correlated with higher perceived scene familiarity intensity.

Conclusions:

• Déjà vu is associated with both predictive and postdictive biases.
• Postdictive bias following déjà vu may stem from heightened familiarity falsely signaling prior knowledge.
• Further research is needed to confirm the role of familiarity intensity in this phenomenon.