Abstract
People perceive the consequences of their own actions differently to how they perceive other sensory events. A large body of psychology research has shown that people also consistently overrate their own performance relative to others, yet little is known about how these “illusions of superiority” are normally maintained. Here we examined the visual perception of the sensory consequences of self-generated and observed goal-directed actions. Across a series of visuomotor tasks, we found that the perception of the sensory consequences of one's own actions is more biased toward success relative to the perception of observed actions. Using Bayesian models, we show that this bias could be explained by priors that represent exaggerated predictions of success. The degree of exaggeration of priors was unaffected by learning, but was correlated with individual differences in trait optimism. In contrast, when observing these actions, priors represented more accurate predictions of the actual performance. The results suggest that the brain internally represents optimistic predictions for one's own actions. Such exaggerated predictions bind the sensory consequences of our own actions with our intended goal, explaining how it is that when acting we tend to see what we want to see.
Highlights
A large body of psychology research has shown that people consistently overrate their own performance relative to others, yet little is known about how these “illusions of superiority” are normally maintained
The intensity of the sensory effect of a voluntary action is typically perceived as weaker than the same sensory event when it is externally generated (Shergill et al, 2003). Such differences between self- and externally generated outcomes are not restricted to simple sensory perceptions: a large body of psychology literature has shown that people tend to overestimate their performance relative to others
We quantified this in terms of Bayesian priors and explored whether these priors change with explicit feedback of the action effect as well as the possible relation between these priors and behavioral measures, such as positive illusions and task learning
Summary
The results suggest that the brain internally represents optimistic predictions for one’s own actions Such exaggerated predictions bind the sensory consequences of our own actions with our intended goal, explaining how it is that when acting we tend to see what we want to see. GENERAL INTRODUCTION People perceive the sensory consequences of their own actions differently from similar sensory events that are externally caused. The intensity of the sensory effect of a voluntary action is typically perceived as weaker than the same sensory event when it is externally generated (Shergill et al, 2003) Such differences between self- and externally generated outcomes are not restricted to simple sensory perceptions: a large body of psychology literature has shown that people tend to overestimate their performance relative to others. The perception of the sensory consequences of one’s own actions is modulated by beliefs about the cause of the sensory event, including the attribution of causality to either oneself or to an external agent (Desantis et al, 2011, 2012)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
