Visual working memory prioritization modulates serial dependence beyond simple attentional effects
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Serial dependence (SD) is a contextual bias in visual processing, where current perception is influenced by past stimuli. This study explores how prioritization in visual working memory (VWM) modulates SD through three experiments. RESULTS: Experiment 1 revealed that tasks requiring active memory maintenance (thus prioritization in VWM) amplified SD, with stronger biases observed when participants retained prior stimuli for extended periods. Conversely, Experiments 2 and 3, which employed pre- and post-cueing in a dual-stimuli setup, found no significant differences in SD strength between congruent and incongruent conditions, suggesting that simple attentional prioritization alone does not influence SD magnitude. CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the nuanced interplay between memory maintenance, attention, and perceptual biases, suggesting that SD arises from complex interactions beyond simple attentional mechanisms. This study advances the understanding of SD within perceptual decision-making, underscoring the role of memory maintenance in shaping visual judgments.
Source: BMC Biology
Authors: Ekaterina Andriushchenko, Andrey Chetverikov, Gianluca Campana
Institutions: University of Padua, University of Bergen
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,690
OpenAlex ID: W4416225485