Introspection about forced and free choice: Accurate subjective time estimation for externally as well as self-determined actions

Free-choice behavior is unique in that actions are internally self-determined, unlike forced-choice behavior, which is externally specified. Several studies suggest these two action modes can lead to different behavioral, affective, and motivational outcomes. We examined whether people estimate free-choice differently from forced-choice processing time due to possible introspective biases associated with these modes. Consistent with previous studies, free choices were slower than forced choices and action mode interacted with perceptual difficulty. Importantly, all effects in mean reaction times (RTs) were mirrored in mean introspective RTs (iRTs). Moreover, objective RTs alone could essentially predict iRTs without any contributing distortion of choice modes. Thus, introspection about RT appears equally accurate for both externally and self-determined actions, suggesting that iRTs are primarily based on a direct read-out of temporal information. Possibly, accurate introspection about processing time is a crucial basis for potentially distinct subjective experiences of free and forced choices.