Serial dependence in haptic perception during active manual exploration.

Serial dependence is a phenomenon where current perception is influenced by the most recent sensory experience, a fact that has been observed in various sensory modalities. However, the presence of serial dependence during active haptic perception has yet to be established. Haptic perception of object geometry is known to rely on hand movements for sensory input, suggesting a potential link between haptic perception, movement, and serial dependence.

This study aimed to determine if active haptic perception exhibits attractive serial dependence by using a sophisticated haptic device that allowed participants to explore virtual slopes of varying heights. Participants' perceived slope heights were reported, along with their kinematic data being recorded. The findings revealed that perceptual judgments were systematically influenced by the most recent slope experienced, providing evidence of serial dependence during active haptic perception.

In contrast, none of the kinematic parameters displayed any corresponding serial dependence. These results indicate that serial dependence is not confined to a specific sensory domain but extends to the somatosensory perceptual domain. Furthermore, the observed perceptual bias was not mediated by systematic changes in hand movements, implying that both perception and movement independently contribute to the occurrence of serial dependence during active haptic exploration.