Action modulates visual detection and metacognitive sensitivity

Visual false pattern perception can increase in response to a lack of control. However, prior studies have manipulated control over relatively long timescales by altering participants' beliefs. We investigated whether short-timescale sensorimotor discrepancies, which are known to disrupt sense of agency, also lead to an increase in false perceptions. Participants were instructed either to voluntarily press a key, which triggered immediate or delayed visual feedback (i.e., white noise images with or without an embedded object), or to passively observe the feedback. We also explored metacognition in visual detection using post-trial confidence ratings. Sense of agency over visual feedback was successfully manipulated via voluntary keypress and feedback delay. Contrary to our hypothesis, we found no evidence that reduced sense of agency was associated with increased visual false perception. However, when participants experienced sense of agency over the feedback, both correct detection (i.e., hit rates) and metacognitive sensitivity were enhanced. This improvement in detection appeared to reflect a shift in response bias rather than a change in perceptual sensitivity. We found no effect of feedback delay on detection or metacognitive sensitivity. These results suggest that voluntary action, rather than sense of agency per se arising from feedback congruence, plays a greater role in shaping perception of action-related feedback.