The Self in Social Interactions: Sensory Attenuation of Auditory Action Effects Is Stronger in Interactions with Others
2011

The Self in Social Interactions: How We Perceive Sounds We Create

Sample size: 40 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Carmen Weiss, Arvid Herwig, Simone Schütz-Bosbach

Primary Institution: Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany

Hypothesis

Social interactions enhance the pre-reflective experience of self-agency as indicated by sensory attenuation.

Conclusion

The study found that sensory attenuation of self-generated sounds is stronger in interactive contexts compared to individual contexts.

Supporting Evidence

  • Self-generated sounds are perceived as less loud than sounds generated by others.
  • Sensory attenuation is stronger in interactive contexts than in individual contexts.
  • The study provides experimental evidence for the influence of social interactions on self-agency.

Takeaway

When we make sounds while interacting with others, we feel like we made those sounds even more than when we make sounds alone.

Methodology

Participants judged the loudness of sounds generated by their own or another person's button presses in both individual and interactive contexts.

Participant Demographics

40 healthy participants, mean age 24.2 years, 22 female, all right-handed.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p=0.020 for Button Press, p=0.004 for Action Context

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0022723

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