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Perceptual History Acts in World-Centred Coordinates
Kyriaki Mikellidou1, Guido Marco Cicchini2, David C Burr3
1Department of Psychology, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus; Centre for Applied Neuroscience, Nicosia, Cyprus; Department of Neuroscience, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
I-Perception
|October 14, 2021
Summary
Recent experiences influence our current perceptions, a phenomenon known as serial dependence. This study found that these effects are primarily based on external, allocentric cues rather than internal, egocentric ones.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
- Human Orientation
Background:
- Serial dependence describes how recent sensory information biases current perception.
- This temporal integration effect is well-documented across various tasks and stimuli.
- Its underlying coordinate system (egocentric vs. allocentric) remains debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether serial dependence operates in egocentric or allocentric reference frames.
- To determine the dominant coordinate system guiding temporal integration in visual perception.
Main Methods:
- Participants performed an orientation reproduction task with visual grating stimuli.
- Egocentric and allocentric cues were placed in conflict by introducing head rotations (40° yaw) between trials.
- Stimuli were presented across a range of orientations (-20° to +20°).
Main Results:
- Serial dependence effects were observed, confirming the influence of recent stimuli on current percepts.
- When egocentric and allocentric cues conflicted, allocentric cues were found to prevail.
- This suggests a stronger reliance on external spatial information for temporal integration.
Conclusions:
- Temporal integration in visual perception, as demonstrated by serial dependence, is predominantly governed by allocentric cues.
- The findings clarify the reference frame underlying recent-past biases in perception.
- This has implications for understanding spatial cognition and sensorimotor control.
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