title: Simulated thought insertion: Influencing the sense of agency using deception and magic.
abstract: In order to study the feeling of control over decisions, we told 60 participants that a neuroimaging machine could read and influence their thoughts. While inside a mock brain scanner, participants chose arbitrary numbers in two similar tasks. In the Mind-Reading Task, the scanner appeared to guess the participants' numbers; in the Mind-Influencing Task, it appeared to influence their choice of numbers. We predicted that participants would feel less voluntary control over their decisions when they believed that the scanner was influencing their choices. As predicted, participants felt less control and made slower decisions in the Mind-Influencing Task compared to the Mind-Reading Task. A second study replicated these findings. Participants' experience of the ostensible influence varied, with some reporting an unknown source directing them towards specific numbers. This simulated thought insertion paradigm can therefore influence feelings of voluntary control and may help model symptoms of mental disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, 1033 Pine Avenue West, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A1, Canada. Electronic address: jay.olson@mail.mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Jay A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.affiliation: Integrated Program in Neuroscience, Montreal Neurological Institute, 3801 University Street, Room 141, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada.
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Landry
authors.affiliation: Sciences, Normes, Décision, Université Paris-Sorbonne, Maison de la recherche, 28 rue Serpente, Bureau SE 06, 75006 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Krystèle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Appourchaux
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, 1033 Pine Avenue West, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A1, Canada; The Lady Davis Institute at the SMDB Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Raz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D008192:Deception; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment / Q000502:physiology*; D008273:Magic / Q000523:psychology*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Deception; Magic; Phenomenology; Sense of agency; Thought insertion; Volition