title: Detecting traces of consciousness in the process of intending to act.
abstract: An intention to act has different onsets when it is measured in different ways. When participants provide a self-initiated report on the onset of their awareness of intending to act, the report occurs around 150 ms prior to action. However, when the same participants are repeatedly asked about their awareness of intending at different points in time, the onset of intending is found up to 2 s prior to action. This 'probed' awareness has its onset around the same time as the brain starts preparing the act, as measured using EEG. First of all, this undermines straightforward interpretations about the temporal relation between unconscious brain states and conscious intentions and actions. Secondly, we suggest that these results present a problem for the view that intentions are mental states occurring at a single point in time. Instead, we suggest the results to support the interpretation of an intention to act as a multistage process developing over time. This process of intending seems to develop during the process of acting, leaving reportable traces in consciousness at certain points along the road.
authors.affiliation: Center for Cognition, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, PO Box 9104, 6500 HE, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. c.verbaarschot@donders.ru.nl.
authors.forename: Ceci
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Verbaarschot
authors.affiliation: Center for Cognition, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, PO Box 9104, 6500 HE, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Pim
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Haselager
authors.affiliation: Center for Cognition, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, PO Box 9104, 6500 HE, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Farquhar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D003243:Consciousness / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004576:Electromyography; D004585:Electrooculography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Action; EEG; ERD; Intention; LRP; RP