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Serial dependence in timing perception
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Description: Recent sensory history affects subsequent experience. Behavioural results have demonstrated this effect in two forms: repeated exposure to the same sensory input produces negative after-effects wherein sensory stimuli like that previously experienced are judged as less like the exposed stimulation, while singular exposures can produce positive after-effects wherein judgements are more like previously experienced stimulation. For timing perception, there is controversy regarding the influence of recent exposure - both singular and repeated exposure produce apparently negative after-effects - often referred to as temporal recalibration and rapid temporal recalibration, respectively. While negative after-effects have been found following repeated exposure for all timing tasks, following a single exposure, they have only been demonstrated using synchrony judgements (SJ). Here, we examine the influence of a single presentation – serial dependence for timing – for standard timing tasks: SJ, temporal order judgements (TOJ), and magnitude estimation judgements (MJ). We found that serial dependence produced apparently negative after-effects in SJ, but positive after-effects in TOJ and MJ. We propose that these findings, and those following repeated exposure, can be reconciled within a framework wherein negative after-effects occur at sensory layers, consistent with classical depictions of sensory adaptation, and Bayesian-like positive after-effects operating across different, higher, decision levels. These findings are consistent with the after-effects known from other perceptual dimensions and provide a general framework for interpreting positive (serial dependence) and negative (sensory adaptation) after-effects across different tasks.