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Tuning into the brain: Readiness potentials as instigators of intention reports
Ceci Verbaarschot1, Jason Farquhar2, Pim Haselager2
1Centre for Cognition, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands; Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Texas-Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas-Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA; Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas-Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA.
Neural signals like the readiness potential (RP) may not cause intentions but rather inform intention reports. These brain signals appear late in processing, potentially triggering reports of intended actions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Philosophy of Mind
Background:
- The readiness potential (RP) is a neural signal preceding voluntary action.
- Previous research suggests the RP predicts action before conscious intention.
- This has implications for agency, responsibility, and free will.
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-evaluate the role of the readiness potential (RP) in intention.
- To investigate the RP's function in generating intention reports.
- To explore the informational role of brain signals in subjective experience.
Main Methods:
- Multi-study analysis of five previously published experiments.
- Examination of neural preparation and subjective experience of intended movement.
- Focus on various experimental contexts.
Main Results:
- The readiness potential (RP) appears to be a late-stage brain signal before movement onset.
- RP signals may serve as information to initiate or co-inform intention reports.
- The RP is unlikely to be the sole cause of intention experience.
Conclusions:
- The readiness potential (RP) functions as an ingredient, and sometimes a trigger, for intention reports.
- Brain signals like the RP are crucial for understanding the generation of subjective intention reports.
- This challenges traditional views of neural precursors to conscious intent.
