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Updated: Aug 6, 2025
08:12
A Psychophysics Paradigm for the Collection and Analysis of Similarity Judgments
Published on: March 1, 2022
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The Representational Similarity between Visual Perception and Recent Perceptual History
Junlian Luo1, Thérèse Collins2
1Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, Université Paris Cité and Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris 75006, France.
Summary
Serial dependence, where perception is biased by recent stimuli, was investigated using electroencephalography (EEG). Neural responses contain past object information, but the neural code for past and present stimuli differs, suggesting separate memory and perception pathways.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Perceptual stability despite fluctuating visual input is crucial for reliable object recognition.
- Serial dependence, a bias towards recently viewed stimuli, may explain perceptual stability by smoothing noisy sensory information.
- The neural mechanisms underlying serial dependence remain incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural underpinnings of serial dependence in visual object perception.
- To determine if neural representations of past stimuli influence current object processing.
- To examine whether this influence involves shared neural codes between memory and perception.
Main Methods:
- Electroencephalography (EEG) was used to record brain responses in human observers.
- Observers viewed prototypical objects (faces, cars, houses) and morphs.
- Representational Similarity Analysis (RSA) was applied to EEG data.
Main Results:
- Behavioral responses showed a bias towards previously seen objects, confirming serial dependence.
- EEG data revealed that neural responses to current objects contained information about the preceding stimulus.
- This influence of past stimuli on current neural representations did not involve identical neural codes.
Conclusions:
- Neural activity reflects the influence of recent visual history on current perception.
- Serial dependence arises from a pre-processing brain state rather than direct representational overlap.
- Past stimulus history influences current representations without implying a shared neural code between memory and perception.
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