Temporal Binding in Multi-Step Action-Event Sequences is Driven by Altered Effect Perception.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Sense of agency is often measured by temporal binding, the perceived compression of time between an action and its effect.
• Current research primarily examines agency in single action-effect scenarios, leaving multi-step sequences understudied.
• Understanding agency in complex, sequential tasks is crucial for real-world applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate temporal binding in multi-step action-event sequences.
• To determine if action binding or effect binding is more influential in longer sequences.
• To clarify the sense of agency in complex task environments.

Main Methods:

• Two experiments (free and forced choice) utilized a temporal binding paradigm.
• Participants performed sequential actions (pressing two keys) to elicit corresponding effects.
• The interval between actions and effects was measured to assess temporal binding.

Main Results:

• Overall temporal compression between actions and effects was observed.
• Strong effect binding was evident for both sequential effects.
• No significant action binding was detected for either action in the sequence.

Conclusions:

• Sense of agency in multi-step sequences is primarily driven by the binding of effects, not individual actions.
• This finding has implications for designing user interfaces and understanding human-computer interaction in complex tasks.
• Future research should explore the neural mechanisms underlying effect binding in sequential action.