Dokument: Comparing the Processing of Auditory Action Consequences in Action Performance and Observation

Titel:	Comparing the Processing of Auditory Action Consequences in Action Performance and Observation
URL für Lesezeichen:	https://docserv.uni-duesseldorf.de/servlets/DocumentServlet?id=71247
URN (NBN):	urn:nbn:de:hbz:061-20251110-110137-0
Kollektion:	Dissertationen
Sprache:	Englisch
Dokumententyp:	Wissenschaftliche Abschlussarbeiten » Dissertation
Medientyp:	Text
Autor:	Egan, Sophie Maria [Autor]
Dateien:	[Dateien anzeigen] Adobe PDF [Details] 28,53 MB in einer Datei [ZIP-Datei erzeugen] Dateien vom 06.11.2025 / geändert 06.11.2025
Beitragende:	Prof. Dr. Bellebaum, Christian [Gutachter] Prof. Dr. Zimmermann, Eckart [Gutachter]
Stichwörter:	auditory sensory attenuation, EEG, action observation, individualism, agency attribution, prediction error
Dewey Dezimal-Klassifikation:	100 Philosophie und Psychologie » 150 Psychologie
Beschreibung:	Sensory attenuation describes the phenomenon of reduced sensory processing for self-generated input compared to externally generated input (e.g., perception as less loud). A typical measurement of sensory attenuation is through neurophysiological response, in particular N1 and P2 components in electroencephalography (EEG). Predictive mechanisms were proposed to underlie sensory attenuation. These include motor-based cerebellar forward models as well as general predictive mechanisms. A function of sensory attenuation may be the distinction between own and external effects, and thus a contribution to the sense of agency. Due to similar neural activation during action observation and performance, the same mechanisms could be applied for outcomes of observed actions and yield similar attenuation relative to other external input. Yet, perceptual and neurophysiological measures have shown inconsistent findings regarding sensory attenuation in action observation. In this dissertation, sensory attenuation in action performance and observation was further investigated in three EEG studies to assess potential effects of temporal predictability, culture, and agency as well as to examine the role of prediction errors, which might help explain previous inconsistencies and clarify the underlying mechanisms. A novel addition in these studies compared to previous studies was the inclusion of the cue condition with temporally predictable external tones. In the first study, we found the N1 to reflect temporal predictability and the P2 attenuation in action performance and observation to go beyond it, hinting at further factors such as the sense of agency. We further found no indication of an influence of culture on attenuation in action observation, which studies on perceptual attenuation had suggested. In the second study, to explore effects of agency attribution we extended action-observation conditions to include a robotic hand controlled by either a human agent or the computer. However, the P2 did not reflect differences in agency attribution. Instead, there was a self-specific P2 attenuation beyond the attenuation for temporally predictable tones. The type of action-observation setting, which was live in the first study and via video in the second study, might modulate the mechanisms applied in action observation. The third study focused on the modulation of N1 and P2 amplitudes by prediction errors resulting from tones occurring in only half of the trials. For this purpose, we used reinforcement learning models to calculate the prediction error in each trial. In this context, correct predictions or enacting control could be perceived as rewarding. N1 amplitudes were smaller when the calculated prediction error was smaller. This effect of prediction error was stronger for self-generated tones. Smaller amplitudes with smaller errors and a stronger effect for self-generation were also found for the P2, but overall, the P2 was only attenuated for action observation and cueing, not self-generation, relative to external tones. Thus, both components showed self-specific effects relative to the video action-observation and cue conditions, and only the P2 was sensitive to the lack of a contingent relationship between action and tone. In sum, processing auditory consequences in action performance and observation appeared to rely on different mechanisms particularly when the observation was implemented via video. Moreover, the N1 and P2 components appeared to be functionally distinct, in line with previous studies, in that the former likely relates to temporal predictability and cerebellar forward models, whereas the latter could reflect the identification of the tone as an outcome of an event, particularly self-performed action. Future research might further examine the relationship of perceptual and neurophysiological measures, the modulations of action-observation setting and context, and disentangle the different mechanisms involved in what we measure as sensory attenuation.
Lizenz:	Dieses Werk ist lizenziert unter einer Creative Commons Namensnennung 4.0 International Lizenz
Fachbereich / Einrichtung:	Mathematisch- Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät » WE Psychologie » Experimentelle Biologische Psychologie
Dokument erstellt am:	10.11.2025
Dateien geändert am:	10.11.2025
Promotionsantrag am:	13.08.2025
Datum der Promotion:	03.11.2025