Garami L., Geffen M., & Fiser J. (2025) Automatic perceptual segmentation results in biased acuity in audition and vision Symposium on “Bridging the senses: Lessons learned at the intersection of audition and vision” ARO 48th Annual MidWinter Meeting Orlando, FL, USA [Abstract]
At each level of abstraction, the brain performs the same operation: transforming the incoming information by chunking and extracting patterns to obtain more adequate and efficient representations that can support its goals. Despite the prevalence of such processes across sensory modalities, investigations into the organizing principles of segmentation (chunking) typically focus on individual modalities separately. […]
Garami L., Shan J. H., & Fiser J. (2026) Element duration biases statistical chunking across vision and audition Conference on Interdisciplinary Advances in Statistical Learning San Sebastian, Spain [Abstract]
During conscious learning, observers prioritize which aspects of the input to learn in an efficient, goal-directed manner. Statistical learning (SL) unconsciously extracts and represents patterns of individual elements, or “chunks,” from the environment. However, it remains unknown whether this automatic processing also follows a biased learning strategy, as higher-level learning does. We hypothesized the existence […]
Lengyel G., Lengyel M., & Fiser J. (2026) Context-dependent efficient coding COSYNE 2026 Lisbon, Portugal [Abstract]
Efficient coding is a widely established principle for how the brain allocates sensory resources in order to improve the encoding of perceptual (and other) variables. Typically, efficient coding assumes adaptation to long-run statistics of the environment. Yet, evidence suggests the brain also adapts efficiently and near-instantaneously to rapid changes in stimulus statistics. Here, to unify […]
Siddiqui S., Molnár B., Banai-Tizkar R., Montagnini A., Chavane F., & Fiser J. (2026) Distinct Representations of Probabilistic Context in Perception and Eye Movements European Conference on Visual Perception Bournemouth, UK [Abstract]
Perceptual decisions and eye movements are shaped by sensory information and expectations about the environment, reflecting experience-dependent internal models. Yet, they do not always adapt to context in the same way, suggesting they may rely on partly different internal representations. In direction-biased motion tasks, anticipatory eye movements track the most frequent direction while perceptual discrimination […]
Szabó B. T. & Fiser J. (2026) Statistical learning and abstract knowledge transfer in structured environments Conference on Interdisciplinary Advances in Statistical Learning San Sebastian, Spain [Abstract]
Statistical learning involves extracting regularities of token appearances, and inferring the underlying abstract structure governing pattern formation. In graph-learning tasks, this structure corresponds to the rules defining transitions within the graph. The acquired structural knowledge should enable transfer across environments sharing the same organization but differing in observable tokens. A key question is whether individuals […]
Pesonen L. & Fiser J. (2026) Statistical Structure and Representation Consistency Shape Feature Memory Conference on Interdisciplinary Advances in Statistical Learning San Sebastian, Spain [Abstract]
Chunking through statistical learning reportedly biases memory for features of chunked items toward each other. We examined how this bias depends on the strength and consistency of participants’ internal representations. Across two experiments, participants completed a familiarization phase in which they uncovered hidden target objects in a grid based on a cue object. Cue–target pairs […]
Fiser J. & Garber D. (2026) From co-occurrence to structure: seamless integration of space, time, and context in visual statistical learning Conference on Interdisciplinary Advances in Statistical Learning San Sebastian, Spain [Abstract]
Visual Statistical Learning (VSL) is typically investigated in isolation as either spatial or temporal learning, leaving open how these regularities interact when they co-occur in natural environments. Yet outside the laboratory, regularities unfold jointly across space and time and must be interpreted in context. Using a novel spatio-temporal paradigm in which spatially defined patterns dynamically […]
Molnár B., Fiser J., & Koblinger Á. (2026) The conjunction fallacy in perception: the effect of context Journal of Vision 26(9) [Abstract]
The conjunction fallacy is a well-known breakdown of Bayesian reasoning, but its cognitive roots remain unclear. Most studies rely on ambiguous, story-based vignettes that leave room for interpretation. Less is known about its emergence in simpler, perception-based tasks with tightly controlled visual stimuli. We aim to explore this gap in two controlled experiments. In Experiment […]
Fiser J., Siddiqui S., Molnár B., Banai-Tizkar R., Chavane F., & Montagnini A. (2026) Different effects of internal representations on decisions and eye movements Journal of Vision 26(9) [Abstract]
Every conscious and involuntary action we make is strongly influenced by our internal model of the monetary environment and by the actual context. In our previous investigation of perceptual decision-making, we used response biases to identify which alternative internal representation observers used during their decisions. We found that, depending on the representation they adopted, observers […]
Garami L. & Fiser J. (2026) Automatic biases in visual and auditory perception Journal of Vision 26(9) [Abstract]
The brain relies on various internally generated categories and stereotypes, formed through biased processing of inputs, to make rapid predictions. We investigated the hypothesis that applying such biases -identifying and focusing on particular groups and patterns that prioritize fast, goal-relevant efficiency over veridical accuracy- is not limited to higher-order cognitive processes. Instead, this strategy is […]