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Experiment 1. (A) On each trial, participants made downward movements with their right index finger either over a motion tracker (No Contact condition), or towards a button with which they made contact (Contact condition). Each movement elicited a tactile punctate event to the left index finger positioned directly below. (B) PSEs were calculated for each participant (data represents an example participant in the No Contact condition for Active [dark blue] and Passive [light blue] trials). (C) Mean PSEs were higher in Active than Passive trials in the Contact conditions, but lower in Active than Passive trials in the No Contact condition. Larger PSEs indicate less intense target percepts (* p < .05, ** p = .001). (D) PSE effect of movement (Passive -Active) for the Contact (top) and No Contact (bottom) condition, plotted with raincloud plots (Allen et al., 2019) displaying probability density estimates (upper) and box and scatter plots (lower). Boxes denote lower, middle and upper quartiles, whiskers denote 1.5 interquartile range, and dots denote difference scores for each participant (N=30). Positive effects of movement indicate more intensely perceived active events relative to passive events, but negative values indicate the reverse -less intensely perceived active events.
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It is widely believed that predicted tactile action outcomes are perceptually attenuated. The present experiments determined whether predictive mechanisms always generate attenuation, or instead can enhance perception – as typically observed in sensory cognition domains outside of action. We manipulated probabilistic expectations in a paradigm ofte...
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Context 1
... SD = 1.22) compared to Passive trials (M = 4.35, SD = .80) in the Contact condition (t (29) = 2.07, p = .047, d = .38), but higher force judgements (lower PSEs) in Active (M = 3.82, SD = 1.11) compared to Passive trials (M = 4.45, SD = .97) in the No Contact condition (t(29) = -3.80, p = .001, d = .69, see Fig. 1C). Thus, when a moving effector receives cutaneous stimulation simultaneously with passive effector stimulation, tactile events are perceived less intensely during movement. Conversely, when the moving effector does not receive such stimulation, tactile events are perceived more intensely during movement. These results therefore ...
Context 2
... findings challenge a central tenet of prominent motor control theories and demonstrate that sensorimotor prediction operates via qualitatively similar mechanisms to other prediction and regardless of the sensory domain. Fig 1A). An infrared motion tracker (Leap Motion Controller using . ...
Context 3
... SD = 1.22) compared to Passive trials (M = 4.35, SD = .80) in the Contact condition (t (29) = 2.07, p = .047, d = .38), but higher force judgements (lower PSEs) in Active (M = 3.82, SD = 1.11) compared to Passive trials (M = 4.45, SD = .97) in the No Contact condition (t(29) = -3.80, p = .001, d = .69, see Fig. 1C). Thus, when a moving effector receives cutaneous stimulation simultaneously with passive effector stimulation, tactile events are perceived less intensely during movement. Conversely, when the moving effector does not receive such stimulation, tactile events are perceived more intensely during movement. These results therefore ...
Context 4
... findings challenge a central tenet of prominent motor control theories and demonstrate that sensorimotor prediction operates via qualitatively similar mechanisms to other prediction and regardless of the sensory domain. Fig 1A). An infrared motion tracker (Leap Motion Controller using . ...
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... A second account could be that mental operations have a gating effect (Cromwell et al., 2008), independent from predictive mechanisms, thereby directly affecting the strength of the mental representations of self-generated words. A similar gating mechanism has recently been shown to offer a plausible alternative to forward model accounts of sensory self-attenuation (Thomas et al., 2020). ...
Previous studies have shown that self-generated stimuli in auditory, visual, and somatosensory domains are attenuated, producing decreased behavioral and neural responses compared to the same stimuli that are externally generated. Yet, whether such attenuation also occurs for higher-level cognitive functions beyond sensorimotor processing remains unknown. In this study, we assessed whether cognitive functions such as numerosity estimations are subject to attenuation. We designed a task allowing the controlled comparison of numerosity estimations for self (active condition) and externally (passive condition) generated words. Our behavioral results showed a larger underestimation of self- compared to externally-generated words, suggesting that numerosity estimations for self-generated words are attenuated. Moreover, the linear relationship between the reported and actual number of words was stronger for self-generated words, although the ability to track errors about numerosity estimations was similar across conditions. Neuroimaging results revealed that numerosity underestimation involved increased functional connectivity between the right intraparietal sulcus and an extended network (bilateral supplementary motor area, left inferior parietal lobule and left superior temporal gyrus) when estimating the number of self vs. externally generated words. We interpret our results in light of two models of attenuation and discuss their perceptual versus cognitive origins.
... On the one hand, Bayesian models of metacognition suggest the top-down predictions enhance introspection about expected events ( 11 ; see Fig. 1a). These accounts share a family resemblance to Bayesian models of perception 9,[12][13][14] , which assume it is adaptive for sensory representations to be weighted towards predicted outcomesmaking us more likely to see, hear or feel sensory events that we expect to occur [15][16][17][18] . Analogously to Bayesian of models of perception, Bayesian models of metacognition suggest that top-down predictions 'sharpen' internal representations of expected events, leading to more sensitive metacognition about predicted signals 11,19 . ...
Metacognition allows us to explicitly represent the uncertainty in our perceptions and decisions. Recent theories suggest that we use predictive models of our environment to optimise these introspective processes, but extant accounts disagree about the role prediction plays: some accounts suggest that we should have more sensitive subjective insight for predictable events, while others stress that metacognition should be enhanced for surprising prediction errors. Here two experiments compare these accounts. Participants performed actions to generate visual outcomes that could move in expected or unexpected directions. Across both experiments, signal detection analyses revealed enhanced metacognition for unexpected outcomes. A combination of reverse correlation and computational modelling suggested this advantage arose because metacognitive processes are more sensitive to unexpected information. These results are consistent with higher order inference models of introspective awareness and point to a mechanism that may optimise diverse aspects of cognition and behaviour in an unstable world.
... Such suppression mechanisms are thought to attenuate tactile sensations during action regardless of whether they are predicted effects of action or not and are thought to be mediated by spinal mechanisms (Seki & Fetz, 2012), and comparable mechanisms may similarly attenuate sensory processing in a nonpredictive fashion across modalities in humans and other animals (Crapse & Sommer, 2008). Importantly, recent experiments in touch suggest that when confounds related to sensory suppression are removed, action predictions may influence perception in a qualitatively similar fashion irrespective of sensory modality (Thomas, Yon, de Lange, & Press, 2020). ...
We predict how our actions will influence the world around us. Prevailing models in the action control literature propose that we use these predictions to suppress or “cancel” perception of expected action outcomes, to highlight more informative surprising events. However, contrasting normative Bayesian models in sensory cognition suggest that we are more, not less, likely to perceive what we expect—given that what we expect is more likely to occur. Here we adjudicated between these models by investigating how expectations influence perceptual decisions about action outcomes in a signal detection paradigm. Across three experiments, participants performed one of two manual actions that were sometimes accompanied by brief presentation of expected or unexpected visual outcomes. Contrary to dominant cancellation models but consistent with Bayesian accounts, we found that observers were biased to report the presence of expected action outcomes. There were no effects of expectation on sensitivity. Computational modeling revealed that the action-induced bias reflected a sensory bias in how evidence was accumulated rather than a baseline shift in decision circuits. Expectation effects remained in Experiments 2 and 3 when orthogonal cues indicated which finger was more likely to be probed (i.e. task-relevant). These biases toward perceiving expected action outcomes are suggestive of a mechanism that would enable generation of largely veridical representations of our actions and their consequences in an inherently uncertain sensory world.
... Such suppression mechanisms are thought to attenuate tactile sensations during action regardless of whether they are predicted effects of action or not and are thought to be mediated by spinal mechanisms (Seki & Fetz, 2012), and comparable mechanisms may similarly attenuate sensory processing in a non-predictive fashion across modalities in humans and other animals (Crapse & Sommer, 2008). Importantly, recent experiments in touch suggest that when confounds related to sensory suppression are removed, action predictions may influence perception in a qualitatively similar fashion irrespective of sensory modality (Thomas, Yon, de Lange & Press, 2020). ...
We predict how our actions will influence the world around us. Prevailing models of action control propose that we use these predictions to suppress or ‘cancel’ perception of expected action outcomes. However, contrasting normative Bayesian models in sensory cognition suggest that top-down predictions bias observers toward perceiving what they expect. Here we adjudicated between these models by investigating how expectations influence perceptual decisions about briefly presented action outcomes. Contrary to dominant cancellation models, we found that observers’ perceptual decisions are biased toward the presence of outcomes congruent with their actions. Computational modelling revealed this action-induced bias reflected a bias in how sensory evidence was accumulated, rather than a baseline shift in decision circuits. In combination, these results reveal a gain control mechanism that can explain how we generate largely veridical representations of our actions and their consequences in an inherently uncertain sensory world.
Previous studies have shown that self-generated stimuli in auditory, visual, and somatosensory domains are attenuated, producing decreased behavioral and neural responses compared to the same stimuli that are externally generated. Yet, whether such attenuation also occurs for higher-level cognitive functions beyond sensorimotor processing remains unknown. In this study, we assessed whether cognitive functions such as numerosity estimations are subject to attenuation in 56 healthy participants (32 women). We designed a task allowing the controlled comparison of numerosity estimations for self (active condition) and externally (passive condition) generated words. Our behavioral results showed a larger underestimation of self- compared to externally-generated words, suggesting that numerosity estimations for self-generated words are attenuated. Moreover, the linear relationship between the reported and actual number of words was stronger for self-generated words, although the ability to track errors about numerosity estimations was similar across conditions. Neuroimaging results revealed that numerosity underestimation involved increased functional connectivity between the right intraparietal sulcus and an extended network (bilateral supplementary motor area, left inferior parietal lobule and left superior temporal gyrus) when estimating the number of self vs. externally generated words. We interpret our results in light of two models of attenuation and discuss their perceptual versus cognitive origins.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTWe perceive sensory events as less intense when they are self-generated compared to externally-generated ones. This phenomenon, called attenuation enables us to distinguish sensory events from self and external origins. Here, we designed a novel fMRI paradigm to assess whether cognitive processes such as numerosity estimations are also subject to attenuation. When asking participants to estimate the number of words they had generated or passively heard, we found bigger underestimation in the former case, providing behavioral evidence of attenuation. Attenuation was associated with increased functional connectivity of the intraparietal sulcus, a region involved in numerosity processing. Together, our results indicate that attenuation of self-generated stimuli is not limited to sensory consequences but also impact cognitive processes such as numerosity estimations.
In recent decades, research on somatosensory perception has led to two important observations. First, self-generated touches that are predicted by voluntary movements become attenuated compared to externally generated touches of the same intensity (attenuation). Second, externally generated touches feel weaker and are more difficult to detect during movement compared to rest (gating). Researchers today often consider gating and attenuation to be the same suppression process; however, this assumption is unwarranted because, despite more than forty years of research, no study has combined them in a single paradigm. We quantified how people perceive self-generated and externally generated touches during movement and rest. We demonstrate that whereas voluntary movement gates the precision of both self-generated and externally generated touch, the amplitude of self-generated touch is selectively attenuated compared to externally generated touch. We further show that attenuation and gating neither interact nor correlate, and we conclude that they represent distinct perceptual phenomena.
In recent decades, research on somatosensory perception has led to two important observations. First, self-generated touches that are predicted by voluntary movements become attenuated compared to externally generated touches of the same intensity (attenuation). Second, externally generated touches feel weaker and are more difficult to detect during movement compared to rest (gating). Researchers today often consider gating and attenuation to be the same suppression process; however, this assumption is unwarranted because, despite more than forty years of research, no study has combined them in a single paradigm. We quantified how people perceive self-generated and externally generated touches during movement and rest. We demonstrate that whereas voluntary movement gates the precision of both self-generated and externally generated touch, the amplitude of self-generated touch is selectively attenuated compared to externally generated touch. We further show that attenuation and gating neither interact nor correlate, and we conclude that they represent distinct perceptual phenomena.
