Predictable and self-initiated visual motion is judged to be slower than computer generated motion

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Sensorimotor Control
• Perception

Background:

• Self-initiated actions are typically perceived as less intense than identical external stimuli.
• This sensory attenuation is hypothesized to result from predictive forward models in the sensorimotor system.
• The interplay between self-agency and predictability in modulating perception remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To disentangle the effects of self-agency, predictability, and spatial congruence on perceptual judgments.
• To investigate whether self-other differences in perception depend on predictable action-effect contingencies.
• To determine if predictability modulates self- and externally generated stimuli similarly.

Main Methods:

• A 2AFC speed discrimination task was employed.
• Factorial manipulation of predictability of action effects, spatial congruence, and self vs. computer performance.
• Analysis of speed judgments in a visual discrimination task.

Main Results:

• Self-initiated motion was judged slower than computer-initiated motion under predictable conditions.
• Spatial congruence affected speed judgments only when action effect contingencies were unpredictable.
• Predictability differentially modulated the perception of self- versus computer-initiated actions.

Conclusions:

• The findings suggest that predictability plays a crucial role in sensory attenuation, with distinct effects based on action origin (self vs. computer).
• Results challenge theories that assume uniform modulation by predictability across self and external stimuli.
• The study provides insights into the complex mechanisms underlying the sense of agency and perceptual experience.