Interaction between Prediction Error and Prediction Uncertainty on the Sense of Agency in Continuous Operations

Abstract

Sense of agency refers to the perception that one is the initiator of an action. The impact of prediction error on sense of agency has not been thoroughly explored. Sense of agency in machine operation is influenced by noise; thus, uncertainty cannot be overlooked. Our study aimed to elucidate the effects of prediction error and uncertainty on sense of agency. Previous study has shown that prediction error and uncertainty interact to influence the sense of agency. However, the interaction has not been examined in continuous operations. In the steering task, prediction error was manipulated through expected delays, and prediction uncertainty was altered by the variance in delays. Our results revealed an interaction between prediction error and uncertainty. Thus, sense of agency is preserved with large uncertainty when facing large prediction errors. This finding suggests that precision-weighted prediction errors significantly affect sense of agency.