A recent study published on December 3, 2024, in Nature explores how the sense of self-agency is influenced by joint actions among individuals. Conducted by researchers at a leading academic institution, the study involved 42 healthy adult participants who engaged in button-pressing tasks to illuminate a light bulb, either individually or in coordination with a partner.
The researchers aimed to determine whether individuals feel the same level of control over outcomes when acting alone versus in collaboration with others. The study measured both explicit (self-reported) and implicit (measured through temporal perception) senses of self-agency during solo and joint tasks, revealing that the sense of agency is significantly reduced in joint actions.
Participants demonstrated decreased explicit judgments of self-agency during joint tasks compared to solo efforts, particularly in coordinated actions. Interestingly, an implicit sense of agency was observed in sequential tasks, indicating that the structure of the interaction plays a crucial role in how agency is experienced.
The findings suggest that while working together can diminish an individual's sense of control, this can be compensated for at an implicit level, especially when contributions to the shared goal are clear. This research contributes to our understanding of motor awareness and social interactions, highlighting the complexities of agency in collaborative environments.