A reduction in the implicit sense of agency during adolescence compared to childhood and adulthood
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2021
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Abstract
Sense of agency (SoA), the fundamental feeling of control over our actions and their consequences, may show key developmental changes during adolescence. We examined SoA in childhood (9–10), mid-adolescence (13–14), late-adolescence (18–20) and adulthood (25-28) using two tasks (Libet Clock and Stream of Letters). SoA was implicitly indexed by intentional binding that reflects the agency effect on action-outcome temporal association. We found age effects on the sub-processes in both tasks. In the Libet Clock task, where performance was more reliable, we observed a U-shaped developmental trajectory of intentional binding suggesting an adolescent-specific reduction in the experience of control. This study provides evidence for the developmental effects on the implicit agency experience and suggests adolescence as a critical period. We discuss the possible implications of these findings. © 2020 Elsevier Inc.
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Adolescent , Adult , Emotions , Humans , Psychomotor Performance , adolescence , adolescent , adult , adulthood , article , child , childhood , human , emotion , psychomotor performance