title: Action-specific disruption of perceptual confidence.
abstract: Theoretical models of perception assume that confidence is related to the quality or strength of sensory processing. Counter to this intuitive view, we showed in the present research that the motor system also contributes to judgments of perceptual confidence. In two experiments, we used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to manipulate response-specific representations in the premotor cortex, selectively disrupting postresponse confidence in visual discrimination judgments. Specifically, stimulation of the motor representation associated with the unchosen response reduced confidence in correct responses, thereby reducing metacognitive capacity without changing visual discrimination performance. Effects of TMS on confidence were observed when stimulation was applied both before and after the response occurred, which suggests that confidence depends on late-stage metacognitive processes. These results place constraints on models of perceptual confidence and metacognition by revealing that action-specific information in the premotor cortex contributes to perceptual confidence.
authors.affiliation: Center for Neural Science, New York University Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford sf102@nyu.edu.
authors.forename: Stephen M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Fleming
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Columbia University National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Maniscalco
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Columbia University.
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Columbia University.
authors.forename: Namema
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Amendi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The City College of the City University of New York.
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ro
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Columbia University Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles.
authors.forename: Hakwan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lau
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000067489:Metacognition / Q000502:physiology*; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: monitoring; motor processes; open data; perception