Sensorimotor serial dependencies in head movements

On average, we redirect our gaze with a frequency at about 3 Hz. In real life, gaze shifts consist of eye and head movements. Much research has focused on how the accuracy of eye movements is monitored and calibrated. By contrast, little is known about how head movements remain accurate. I wondered whether serial dependencies between artificially induced errors in head movement targeting and the immediately following head movement might recalibrate movement accuracy. I also asked whether head movement targeting errors would influence visual localization. To this end, participants wore a head-mounted display and performed head movements to targets, which were displaced as soon as the start of the head movement was detected. I found that target displacements influenced head movement amplitudes in the same trial, indicating that participants could adjust their movement online to reach the new target location. However, I also found serial dependencies between the target displacement in trial n-1 and head movements amplitudes in the following trial n. I did not find serial dependencies between target displacements and visuomotor localization. The results reveal that serial dependencies recalibrate head-movement accuracy. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Head movements are recalibrated by serial dependencies by errors between consecutive trials. Head movements are subject to a regression of the average target location.