The sense of agency is action–effect causality perception based on cross-modal grouping

Abstract

Sense of agency, the experience of controlling external events through one's actions, stems from contiguity between action-and effect-related signals.Here we show that human observers link their action-and effect-related signals using a computational principle common to cross-modal sensory grouping. We first report that the detection of a delay between tactile and visual stimuli is enhanced when both stimuli are synchronized with separate auditory stimuli (experiment 1). This occurs because the synchronized auditory stimuli hinder the potential grouping between tactile and visual stimuli. We subsequently demonstrate an analogous effect on observers' key press as an action and a sensory event. This change is associated with a modulation in sense of agency; namely, sense of agency, as evaluated by apparent compressions of action-effect intervals (intentional binding) or subjective causality ratings, is impaired when both participant's action and its putative visual effect events are synchronized with auditory tones (experiments 2 and 3). Moreover, a similar role of action -effect grouping in determining sense of agency is demonstrated when the additional signal is presented in the modality identical to an effect event (experiment 4). These results are consistent with the view that sense of agency is the result of general processes of causal perception and that cross-modal grouping plays a central role in these processes.

Predicting the sensory consequences of one’s own action: First evidence for multisensory facilitation

“…Although we did not specifically measure intentional binding, our results are in line with this phenomenon to a certain extent. First of all, we found bimodal enhancement, which has previously been found as well by Kawabe et al (2013). Furthermore, for bimodal trials we see a specific advantage when the task-irrelevant modality is not delayed; with increasing delay of this stimulus, delay detection becomes worse.…”

“…Similarly, lower thresholds were found when additional tones were presented at the time of the buttonpress and visual stimulus in a cross-modal grouping paradigm with variable delayed visual stimuli (Kawabe, Roseboom, & Nishida, 2013). Although the sense of agency may rely, at least partly, on the same forward model used in sensorimotor predictions (Farrer, Frey, et al, 2008), it has also been suggested to emerge from an additional interpretive mechanism (Kawabe et al, 2013). In our study, we specifically investigated multisensory temporal predictions of the forward model by using a delay detection task instead of assessing the subjective experience of the action outcome.…”

“…For example, Farrer and colleagues found that the presentation of a sound at the time of the buttonpress significantly reduced the thresholds at which participants felt in full control of the appearance of the visual stimulus (Farrer, Valentin, & Hupé, 2013). Similarly, lower thresholds were found when additional tones were presented at the time of the buttonpress and visual stimulus in a cross-modal grouping paradigm with variable delayed visual stimuli (Kawabe, Roseboom, & Nishida, 2013). Although the sense of agency may rely, at least partly, on the same forward model used in sensorimotor predictions (Farrer, Frey, et al, 2008), it has also been suggested to emerge from an additional interpretive mechanism (Kawabe et al, 2013).…”

The impact of latency on perceptual judgments and motor performance in closed-loop interaction in virtual reality

“…Furthermore, the impact of latency is often only considered with respect to one single factor (e.g., perception of simultaneity Raaen et al 2014]). In other cases, only very simple tasks such as button pressing are examined without a focus on VR [Kawabe et al 2013;Rohde et al 2014a]. Also, Rohde et al [2014b] found that feedback delays are processed differently in predictable motor tasks as opposed to unpredictable motor tasks.…”

The Power of Suggestion: Posthypnotically Induced Changes in the Temporal Binding of Intentional Action Outcomes

“…An alternative account proposes that, by analogy with cross-modal cue combination (Ernst & Banks, 2002;Körding et al, 2007), the timing judgements of intentional actions and their outcomes may be a weighted average of the action and outcome cues (Kawabe, Roseboom & Nishida, 2013), with the weighting dependent on the estimated precision with which each is individually timed. The decreased outcome judgement shift reported here may therefore arise from the increased weighting of the outcome cue over the action cue in estimating the time of the outcome event when motor intention information is discounted and the estimated precision of the action cue consequently decreases (consistently, in the supplemental material we report lower within-participant SD in the voluntary than in the post-hypnotic condition for high hypnotisables and sensitive evidence of no difference in medium hypnotisables).…”