Exploring Methodological Factors in the Temporal Measurement of the Sense of Agency

Abstract

Time perception plays a crucial role in understanding conscious processing. Over cognitive history, various time perception methodologies have been used to measure conscious processes, with the Libet Clock method gaining attention for implicitly measuring the sense of agency through the intentional binding effect. During intentional binding, the perceived temporal distance between an action and its sensory consequence is shorter when the action is voluntary. This phenomenon is considered a proxy to measure intentionality and the sense of agency. One prominent theory explaining this effect is sensory recalibration, suggesting that the brain adjusts the interval between a voluntary action and its sensory consequence. However, a critical question can arise: does the recalibration cause the entire outcome to shift in time, or does it expand in time, compensating for the recalibration? Research indicates that the intended outcome expands in time but with an intriguing caveat—the expansion effect is highest with shorter action-outcome delays and disappears with longer delays. This observation contrasts with what the literature on the binding effect seems to suggest. Since the methodology employed to measure this effect is an inferential way to assess the intentional binding effect, it is expected that expansion should have been observed for longer and shorter delays, if not exclusively. The literature suggests a dissociation of the sensitivity of the binding effect based on action-outcome delay ranges, with predictive methods focusing on shorter delays and inferential methods on longer delays. The thesis explores the difference between objective measurements and literature suggestions, proposing that the discrepancy may arise from how components of the intentional binding effect are operationalised. The study argues that the dependence on the action-outcome delay range is not specific to the methodology but rather how voluntary actions and intended outcomes are processed within the intentional binding paradigm. In summary, this thesis delves into the assessment of conscious processing through time perception, contributing to a better understanding of the temporal dynamics of intended outcomes in the intentional binding effect. It highlights the importance of methodological factors like cues and delays in influencing binding development, extending insights into the sense of agency, intentionality, and causality.