Interrupting the perception-action cycle reshapes serial dependence and sensory processing

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Visual Perception
• Electrophysiology

Background:

• Recent history systematically biases perceptual decisions, leading to attractive and repulsive serial dependence.
• Omitting a response may alter these biases and their underlying neural mechanisms, but this is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the electroencephalography (EEG) correlates of response-requirement effects on serial dependence in visual orientation judgments.
• To understand how interrupting the perception-action cycle influences attractive and repulsive biases and neural activity.

Main Methods:

• Participants performed visual orientation judgments.
• EEG data were recorded during trials with and without response requirements.
• Behavioral biases (serial dependence) and EEG measures (evoked responses, neural representations) were analyzed.

Main Results:

• No-response trials led to reduced attractive and increased repulsive biases compared to response trials.
• No-response trials showed stronger evoked responses and enhanced neural representations on subsequent trials.
• These electrophysiological changes correlated with the observed behavioral shifts in serial dependence.

Conclusions:

• Interrupting the perception-action cycle reshapes the balance between attractive and repulsive serial dependence.
• This interruption promotes neural reengagement with sensory input, evidenced by distinct electrophysiological signatures.
• The findings clarify the neural basis for response-requirement effects on perceptual decision-making biases.