Search bioRxiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.10.07.757258

A Repulsive Bias in Perceived Heading Away from the Straight-Ahead as Determined by Continuous Psychophysics

Rafi, M.·Harris, L. R.·Jörges, B.
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Previous studies of heading perception have reported both attraction toward and repulsion away from straight ahead. Different potential explanations for these differences have been brought forward, such as the reference frame of the response (where egocentric responses are connected to attraction and allocentric responses are connected to repulsion) or the response range (where a wider response range is related to more repulsion). In this study, we aimed to contribute to this debate using a novel Continuous Psychophysics-based task in virtual reality to investigate systematic heading biases across the full 360{degrees} range (repulsion predicted) in an egocentric task (attraction predicted), while concurrently examining the perceptual and motor contributions to these biases. Participants (n = 60 across two experiments) continuously indicated their perceived heading using a joystick while experiencing optic flow consistent with slow or fast self-motion while the simulated heading direction was changing continuously. In a CONTROL condition, participants aligned the joystick with the direction of a clearly visible arrow. The joystick was placed on the dominant-hand side in Experiment 1 (on the right for n = 28 participants) and in the middle and on the left in Experiment 2. In both experiments, we found consistent repulsion away from straight ahead in the CONTROL, FAST, and SLOW conditions, regardless of joystick position. Biases around the other cardinal directions were less consistent and generally tended to show attraction. Around straight ahead, we also observed a general progression from smaller biases in CONTROL to larger biases in FAST and SLOW, suggesting that decreased reliability of perceptual cues increased biases. The broad pattern of findings remained reasonably consistent across the three joystick positions. Our original prediction of attraction in an egocentric task was therefore not supported. Instead, the findings were more consistent with the response-range account, which links larger response ranges (like our 360{degrees} response range) to stronger repulsion. Our findings further support the use of Continuous Psychophysics to study systematic perceptual biases and provide a blueprint for the analytical steps required to do so.

Explore related subjects

animal behavior and cognitionPreprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Rafi, M., Harris, L. R., Jörges, B.. 2026-10-14. A Repulsive Bias in Perceived Heading Away from the Straight-Ahead as Determined by Continuous Psychophysics. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.10.07.757258

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

Characterizing risky play-like behaviour in juvenile versus young adult rats

Play is an evolutionarily conserved behaviour that contributes to healthy behavioural and neural development. While animal play is traditionally categorized as locomotor, object, or social play, developmental research in children has highlighted the importance of risky play, defined as voluntary engagement with uncertainty and manageable physical risk. Whether similar forms of behaviour occur in non-human animals remains largely unexplored. The present study aimed to establish an ethological framework for identifying and quantifying risky play-like behaviour in rats. Juvenile and young adult male Lister Hooded rats were repeatedly exposed to a custom-designed environment containing elevated and unstable structures that provided opportunities for climbing, balancing, hanging, jumping and social interaction. Behaviour was quantified using two complementary ethograms: a location-based ethogram describing the animal's position within the apparatus and a risky event ethogram capturing selected behaviours associated with physical challenge. By comparing the behaviour of animals during the natural peak of play behaviour with animals beyond this developmental period, we aimed to evaluate whether engagement with elevated and unstable environments reflects play-related processes rather than environmental complexity alone. This study provides a behavioural framework for investigating risky play-like behaviour in rodents and establishes a foundation for future studies examining its developmental and neurobiological significance.

animal behavior and cognition↗
bioRxiv2026

Sensitive period for song learning outlasts parent-offspring cohesion in wild zebra finches

Communication is central to social behaviour, with vocalisations playing a crucial role in many species. In some species, vocalisations are learned, with songbirds being key to understanding vocal learning. The Australian zebra finch (Taeniopygia castanotis) is the most studied model organism for vocal learning. In captivity, juveniles are typically housed with their father, where males learn their father song and females develop a preference for that song. In nature, however, the social structure of zebra finches is more dynamic across space and time. To identify the natural social conditions during song learning, we followed zebra finch families across their early life in the wild using automated radio-tracking. The distance between juveniles and their parents increased post-fledging and became similar to the distance between juveniles and unrelated adults by the second half of the song learning period. These findings indicate a highly dynamic social environment during the song learning period and suggest that juvenile males could learn from many tutors and that females may develop broader song preferences. Thus, studies based on one-tutor paradigms should be interpreted carefully with respect to functional implications and highlight that future vocal learning studies could better reflect the social conditions under which song develops.

animal behavior and cognition↗
bioRxiv2026

Data-driven frame-by-frame analysis of surface swimming and terrestrial walking in the coastal beetle Phaleria atriceps

Background. Inter-leg coordination of insects changes depending on environmental conditions. Although locomotor changes between terrestrial and aquatic environments have been examined in various insects, relatively little is known about coastal insects living at the boundary between these environments. We therefore compared the inter-leg coordination during terrestrial walking with that during surface swimming in the coastal beetle Phaleria atriceps. Methods. Surface swimming was recorded in 17 individuals and terrestrial walking in 10 individuals using high-speed video at 1,000 frames/s. The six leg tips and anterior and posterior body landmarks were tracked frame-by-frame using DeepLabCut, and leg movements were quantified in a body-centered coordinate system. Leg movement periods were estimated from sinusoidal fits to longitudinal leg-tip trajectories. Inter-leg phase relationships were calculated for all 15 leg pairs and integrated to reconstruct a representative six-leg phase organization for each locomotor mode. Results. Leg movement periods were significantly longer during surface swimming than during terrestrial walking for all six legs. During walking, the six-leg phase relationship closely matched an alternating tripod pattern, with a left foreleg (L1), a right middle leg (R2), and a left hind leg (L3) forming one phase group and a right foreleg (R1), a left middle leg (L2), and a right hind leg (R3) forming the opposing group. The same broad grouping was observed in the six-leg phase relationship during surface swimming, although significant differences in relative phase were detected for L1-L2, L1-R2, and R1-R2. Conclusions. Phaleria atriceps exhibited six-leg phase relationships broadly consistent with an alternating tripod pattern during both terrestrial walking and surface swimming, whereas leg movement periods and certain inter-leg phase relationships differed between the two locomotor modes. These findings provide a quantitative description of the similarities and differences in inter-leg coordination between terrestrial walking and surface swimming in a coastal beetle. Further mechanical and comparative studies will be needed to clarify the functional and evolutionary significance of these findings.

animal behavior and cognition↗