Visual Serial Dependence in Feature and Integrated Object Representations: A Scoping Review

Serial dependence (SD) is a perceptual phenomenon where current visual perception is systematically biased toward recently seen stimuli, supporting stability through 'continuity fields'. This scoping review synthesizes 41 studies to examine SD across different levels of visual processing: simple features, integrated objects, faces, and ensembles. The literature search, conducted on Google Scholar and PsycINFO, revealed that SD is most extensively documented for low-level features like orientation and position but is also robustly present for high-level social judgments and complex objects. The review identifies key modulating factors, including feature similarity, spatial proximity, and task relevance. Findings indicate that SD operates on both feature-level and object-level representations, with evidence for effects in clinical populations and real-world three-dimensional stimuli. The paper discusses theoretical debates on the origins of SD (perceptual vs. decisional), highlights potential clinical applications in understanding body image misperception, and outlines critical limitations and future directions for research, such as the need for more ecologically valid paradigms and diverse participant samples.