Work

The influence of temporal context on vision over multiple time scales

Year: 2025

Type: preprint

Abstract: Past sensory experiences influence perception of the present. Multiple research subfields have emerged to study this phenomenon at different temporal scales. These phenomena fall into three categories: the influence of immediately preceding sensory events (micro), expectations established by short sequences of events (meso), and regularities over long sequences of events (macro). In a single paradigm, we examined the influence of temporal context on perception at each scale. By integrating behavioural and pupillometry recordings with electroencephalographical recordings from a previous study, we identify two distinct mechanisms that operate across all scales. The first is moderated by attention and supports rapid motor responses to expected events. The second operates independently of task-demands and dampens the feedforward neural responses produced by expected events, leading to unexpected events eliciting earlier and more precise neural representations.

Source: eLife

DOI: 10.7554/elife.106614.2

Authors: Kacie Lee, Reuben Rideaux

Institutions: The University of Sydney, The University of Queensland

Language: English

Topic: Visual perception and processing mechanisms

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,500

Funders: Australian Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Council