Guest Editorial: On the Possibility of a Unifying Framework for Serial Dependencies

Abstract

A critical function of vision is to maintain stable perception of objects so they look the same from moment to moment. This is a challenge because visual input is noisy and discontinuous due to, for example, shadows, motion, occlusion, changes in lighting, noise, and so forth. Although a classic question, the mechanism that links the perception of an object’s identity and properties from moment to moment is unknown. Here, we demonstrate the perceptual constancy field, a novel mechanism of object constancy built on serial dependence. We found that on a given trial, a subject’s perception of the orientation of a grating reflected not only the currently viewed stimulus but also a systematic attraction toward the orientations of the previously viewed stimuli. We found the same serial dependence in the perception of facial expression. This perceptual attraction extended over several trials and seconds and displayed clear tuning to the difference (in orientation or facial expression) between the sequential stimuli. Furthermore, serial dependence in object perception was spatially specific and selective to the attended object within a scene. Several control experiments showed that the perceptual serial dependence that we report cannot be explained by effects of priming, known hysteresis effects, visual short-term memory, or expectation. Instead, there is a systematic influence of recent visual experiences on perception at any given moment: Visual percepts, even of unambiguous stimuli, are attracted toward what was previously seen. Our results reveal a novel mechanism—the Continuity Field—that helps maintain stable object and scene representations in the face of a dynamic and noisy environment.