Spatial and Ear Generalizations of Serial Dependence in Auditory Duration Perception

doi:10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20250102

Abstract

Abstract: The perception of sensory stimuli is a challenging task for the brain, because incoming sensory information is contaminated by noise. To establish a stable and sensitive representation of the external environment, the brain integrates stimulus information over time. Therefore, the perception of a current stimulus depends not only on the current stimulus input, but also on prior perceptual experiences. This phenomenon is known as “serial dependence”. Although previous studies have found that the serial dependence effect mainly manifests itself as a perception bias toward previous stimuli, recent research has shown that different types of prior information affect subsequent perceptual processing differently in duration perception: the previous stimulus duration leads to a repulsive effect (stimulus serial dependence effect), while the previous decision results in an attractive effect (decisional serial dependence effect).
The serial dependence effect does not always occur to the same extent, and its strength is influenced by various factors. The continuity fields theory suggests that the spatial consistency of stimuli is an important factor influencing the serial dependence effect, which has been confirmed by research on visual serial dependence effects. However, given the differences between the visual and auditory systems in processing spatial information, it is unclear whether the spatial consistency of auditory stimuli affects the auditory serial dependence effect. Moreover, as a peripheral organ receiving auditory input, ears may also be a potential factor influencing auditory serial dependence effect, which has not been explored so far. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate the influences of auditory space and ear consistencies on the serial dependence effect in duration perception.
Two experiments with the modified temporal bisection task were conducted in the present study, where participants were asked to make judgments regarding whether the duration of each auditory stimulus was shorter or longer than the established reference duration. Each experiment included 24 naïve participants. Specifically, Experiment 1 used a 2 (auditory space of present stimuli: left vs. right) × 2 (consistency of auditory spaces between previous and present trials: consistent vs. inconsistent) within-subjects design to investigate the effects of auditory space and its consistency on the serial dependence effects in duration perception. In Experiment 2, a similar 2 (the ear position: left vs. right) × 2 (consistency of ear positions between previous and present trials: consistent vs. inconsistent) within-subject design was used to investigate the effects of ear position and its consistency on the serial dependence effects in duration perception.
The results showed that when the previous and present auditory stimuli were from the same space or ear, as well as when they were from different spaces or ears, the previous stimulus duration led to a significantly repulsive serial dependence effect, whereas the previous decision resulted in a significantly attractive serial dependence effect. Moreover, there was no significant difference in the strength of the stimulus serial dependence effect between the spatial or ear consistency and inconsistency conditions. However, the strength of the decision serial dependence effect in the spatial or ear consistency condition was significantly greater than that in the inconsistency condition. These results suggest that the stimulus serial dependence effect can be fully transferred across different auditory spaces or ears, while the decisional serial dependence effect is partially constrained by auditory spaces or ears.
The present study provides evidence for opposing effects of previous stimulus duration and previous decision on the subsequent perceptual decisions on auditory durations. It implies that the brain utilizes different prior information through different mechanisms for auditory duration processing. More specifically, the stimulus serial dependence effect is not sensitive to the auditory space or ear, suggesting that it may originate from higher-level brain areas. The decisional serial dependence effect, on the other hand, is partially dependent on both auditory space and ear. This suggests that the decisional prior can be categorized according to auditory space and ear, which would selectively affect subsequent duration decisions. These findings may help to understand the mechanisms of different serial dependence effects.

Key words: auditory, duration perception, serial dependence, space, ear, generalization

摘要： 序列依赖效应体现了先前感知经验对当前知觉产生的作用。结合时距二分任务,两个实验分别探讨了时距知觉中听觉空间（实验1）和耳（实验2）的一致性对刺激和决策序列依赖效应的影响。结果重复了排斥性的刺激序列依赖效应和吸引性的决策序列依赖效应,并进一步发现刺激序列依赖效应不受听觉空间或耳一致性的影响,而决策序列依赖效应在听觉空间或耳不一致条件下显著减弱。这些结果表明,听觉时距知觉的刺激序列依赖效应可能产生于对听觉空间和耳位置线索不敏感的较高级听觉脑区,而决策序列依赖效应则可能源于能够根据听觉空间和耳位置线索进行类别组织的高级认知脑区。

关键词: 听觉, 时距知觉, 序列依赖效应, 空间, 耳, 迁移特性

Li Baolin, Zhai Xiaofei, Wang Biyao, Wang Kun. Spatial and Ear Generalizations of Serial Dependence in Auditory Duration Perception[J]. Journal of Psychological Science, 2025, 48(1): 11-20.

李宝林, 翟小斐, 王碧瑶, 王坤. 听觉时距知觉序列依赖效应跨空间和双耳位置的迁移特性^*[J]. 心理科学, 2025, 48(1): 11-20.

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