Serial Dependence in Perceptual Decisions Is Reflected in Activity Patterns in Primary Visual Cortex.

We perceive a stable visual scene, although our visual input is constantly changing. This experience may in part be driven by a bias in visual perception that causes images to be perceived as similar to those previously seen. Here, we provide evidence for a sensory bias that may underlie this perceptual effect. We find that neural representations in early visual cortex are biased toward previous perceptual decisions. Our results suggest a direct neural correlate of serial dependencies in visual perception. These findings elucidate how our perceptual decisions are shaped by our perceptual history.