My action lasts longer: Potential link between subjective time and agency during voluntary action

- Link between subjective time and sense of agency during action was examined.
- Participants performed hand action while watching video feedback of their hand.
- Synchronous feedback increases perceived duration and agency.
- Delayed feedback decreases perceived duration and agency.
- Other's hand feedback nullifies fluctuations in perceived duration and agency.

Time perception distorts across different phases of bodily movement. During motor execution, sensory feedback matching an internal sensorimotor prediction is perceived to last longer. The sensorimotor prediction also underlies sense of agency. We investigated association between subjective time and agency during voluntary action. Participants performed hand action while watching a video feedback of their hand with various delays to manipulate agency. The perceived duration and agency over the video feedback were judged. Minimal delay of the video feedback resulted in longer perceived duration than the actual duration and stronger agency, while substantial feedback delay resulted in shorter perceived duration and weaker agency. These fluctuations of perceived duration and agency were nullified by the feedback of other's hand instead of their own, but not by inverted feedback from a third-person perspective. Subjective time during action might be associated with agency stemming from sensorimotor prediction, and self-other distinction based on bodily appearance.