Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-7-2025
Abstract
Voluntary actions are typically preceded by the readiness potential (RP), a negative midfrontal electroencephalography (EEG) deflection that begins ~2 s before movement. What cognitive and neural process the RP reflects and how it relates to conscious intention remain unclear due to conflicting findings. We investigated the neural basis and cognitive significance of the RP in a novel probe-based paradigm. Contrary to prior reports, we found that pre-probe RP buildups were not related to reported awareness of motor preparation. Computational modeling suggested that the best explanation for these results is via metacognitive access to stochastic accumulation. Reported preparation was also related to beta desynchronization over contralateral motor cortex shortly before probe onset. We conclude that the RP may be metacognitively accessible in response to external task demands but does not reflect the onset of a conscious intention. We discuss implications of these findings for voluntary action initiation and intention awareness.
Recommended Citation
Jake Gavenas, Aaron Schurger, Uri Maoz; Probing for intentions: The early readiness potential does not reflect awareness of motor preparation. Imaging Neuroscience 2025; 3 imag_a_00465. doi: https://doi.org/10.1162/imag_a_00465
Copyright
The authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Included in
Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms Commons, Neurosciences Commons, Other Psychiatry and Psychology Commons, Psychological Phenomena and Processes Commons
Comments
This article was originally published in Imaging Neuroscience, volume 3, in 2025. https://doi.org/10.1162/imag_a_00465
Data and code for reproducing main results are available at https://github.com/jgavenas42/ProbeMethodEEG.