Serial dependence as a stable attribute in Super-Recognizers

In serial dependence, perception of stimulus features is assimilated toward stimuli presented in previous trials. This constant error in visual perception has been proposed as a mechanism that promotes perceptual stability in everyday life. Super-Recognizers (SRs) are people that exhibit naturally occurring superiority for processing facial identity. Despite the increase of SR-research, the mechanism(s) underlying their exceptional abilities remain(s) unclear. Here, we investigated whether SRs’ enhanced facial identity processing could be attributed to the lack of sequential effects, such as serial dependence. We hypothesized that an absence of this constant source of error in SRs could account for their superior processing — potentially in a domain-general fashion. To this end, observers performed three experiments probing serial dependence for orientation, identity, and shape stimuli. We tested (1) a group of SRs (n=17) identified as exhibiting exceptional face perception, or superior perception and recognition skills using a battery of tests, and (2) an age-matched control group (n=18). Participants were presented with a sequence of randomly oriented Gabors, morphed face identities, or shapes. On each trial, the task was to adjust the orientation of a bar, a face’s identity, or a shape to match the previously presented ones. We found serial dependence in controls and SRs alike. Importantly, there was no difference in the strength of serial dependence across the two groups. Our results show that enhanced face identity processing skills in SRs cannot be attributed to the lack of sequential effects. These results further reinforce the idea of serial dependence as a general mechanism exhibited by different populations.