Egocentric Temporal Order Bias Robust Across Manipulations of Cue Predictability and Sensory Modality

Abstract

The Egocentric Temporal Order (ETO) bias is the finding that self-initiated action-events are perceived as having occurred prior to simultaneous externally triggered events. Here, we test if the ETO bias is affected by predictability of the stimulus cue used to initiate a self-action or by the sensory modality of that cue. Without separating out the potential influence of the stimulus cue on the ETO bias, further investigations into the mechanisms underlying the bias are difficult to interpret. Our findings robustly confirm and replicate the ETO bias, providing evidence that the bias is not an artifact of the experimental design, but rather indicates a true temporal bias in the perception of self-initiated action-events.