Action and outcome types independently influence intentional binding

Abstract

Intentional binding refers to the apparent compression of the temporal interval between voluntary actions and sensory outcomes. Recent studies have shown that the binding effect differs according to the type of action, namely pressing and releasing. In this study, we examined whether the influence of the type of action can be explained by a sensory association between action and outcome. We manipulated the type of visual outcome (stimulus appearance and disappearance) in addition to the type of action (pressing and releasing) and measured the binding effect using the interval estimation task. The results showed that both the action and outcome types influenced interval estimations: intervals were estimated to be shorter for pressing action than for releasing action, and they were estimated to be shorter when the stimulus appeared than when it disappeared. However, no interaction effect was observed between these factors. Bayesian analysis also supported the model without interaction more than the model with interaction. Our findings suggest that the action and outcome types independently contribute to intentional binding.