Exploring the role of motor and non-motor predictive mechanisms in sensory attenuation: Perceptual and neurophysiological findings. (18th February 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dogge, Myrthel; Hofman, Dennis; Custers, Ruud; Aarts, Henk
• Is Part Of: Neuropsychologia. Volume 124(2019)
• Page Start: 216
• Page End: 225
• Publication Date: 2019-02-18
• Subjects: Sensory attenuation -- Action prediction -- Visuo-Auditory prediction -- Event-related potentials (ERP); Neuropsychology -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; Psychophysiology -- Periodicals; Neuropsychologie -- Périodiques; Neuropsychology; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 616.8
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.12.007
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0028-3932

Abstract

Abstract: Sounds that result from our own actions are perceptually and neurophysiologically attenuated compared to sounds with an external origin. This sensory attenuation phenomenon is commonly attributed to prediction processes implicated in motor control. However, accumulating evidence suggests that attenuation effects can also result from prediction processes beyond the motor domain. The aim of the present study was two-fold. First, we attempted to replicate the role of identity-specific motor predictions in sensory attenuation. Second, we set out to examine whether attenuation effects can be observed when tones cannot be predicted from preceding actions, but only from the non-motor cues accompanying them. Participants completed a two-alternative forced choice task on the loudness of tones whose pitch was congruent or incongruent with previously learned key-tone or cue-tone associations. No convincing evidence was observed for identity predictions on a perceptual level nor on a neurophysiological level. However, exploratory analyses revealed that attenuation was more pronounced for participants who first learned to rely on motor (instead of non-motor predictions). Together, these findings suggest that the role of motor identity predictions in sensory attenuation might have to be reconsidered. Highlights: Identity-specific predictions only had a weak impact on sensory attenuation. Attenuation effects were conditional upon the associative history of predictive cues. Attenuation was only observed when action-effect associations were learned first. Motor and non-motor prediction resulted in similar perceptual sensory attenuation.