Attention and expectation likely underlie temporal binding measured using the Libet Clock.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Psychology of Perception

Background:

• Sense of agency research reveals a phenomenon termed temporal binding, where the perceived time between an action and its outcome is compressed.
• The Libet Clock task is a popular paradigm for studying temporal binding and suggests its potential decomposition into action and outcome components.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the underlying mechanisms of temporal binding, specifically focusing on the Libet Clock task.
• To propose a theoretical framework distinguishing the drivers of action binding and outcome binding.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing the Libet Clock task to measure perceived temporal intervals between actions and outcomes.
• Analyzing the distinct contributions to temporal binding within the context of the Libet Clock task.

Main Results:

• Temporal binding, the perceived compression of action-outcome intervals, is a key finding in agency studies.
• The Libet Clock task provides evidence for decomposing temporal binding into action and outcome components.

Conclusions:

• Attention is proposed as the primary driver of the action binding effect.
• Expectation is identified as the main factor influencing outcome binding.