eprintid: 1393906
rev_number: 28
eprint_status: archive
userid: 608
dir: disk0/01/39/39/06
datestamp: 2013-05-20 20:56:30
lastmod: 2021-10-21 00:06:32
status_changed: 2013-05-20 20:56:30
type: article
metadata_visibility: show
item_issues_count: 0
creators_name: Filevich, E
creators_name: Haggard, P
title: Persistence of internal representations of alternative voluntary actions.
ispublished: pub
divisions: UCL
divisions: B02
divisions: C07
divisions: D05
divisions: F69
keywords: Hick’s law, free action, reselection, response selection, volition
note: © 2013 Filevich and Haggard. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in other forums, provided the original authors and source are credited and subject to any copyright notices concerning any third-party graphics etc.

PMCID: PMC3644713
abstract: We have investigated a situation in which externally available response alternatives and their internal representations could be dissociated, by suddenly removing some action alternatives from the response space during the interval between the free selection and the execution of a voluntary action. Choice reaction times in this situation were related to the number of initially available response alternatives, rather than to the number of alternatives available effectively available after the change in the external environment. The internal representations of response alternatives appeared to persist after external changes actually made the corresponding action unavailable. This suggests a surprising dynamics of voluntary action representations: counterfactual response alternatives persist, and may even be actively maintained, even when they are not available in reality. Our results highlight a representational basis for the counterfactual course of action. Such representations may play a key role in feelings of regret, disappointment, or frustration. These feelings all involve persistent representation of counterfactual response alternatives that may not actually be available in the environment.
date: 2013-05-06
official_url: http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00202
vfaculties: VFBRS
oa_status: green
full_text_type: pub
pmcid: PMC3644713
language: eng
primo: open
primo_central: open_green
article_type_text: Journal Article
verified: verified_manual
elements_source: PubMed
elements_id: 870731
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00202
lyricists_name: Haggard, Patrick
lyricists_id: PHAGG98
full_text_status: public
publication: Front Psychol
volume: 4
article_number: 202
event_location: Switzerland
citation:        Filevich, E;    Haggard, P;      (2013)    Persistence of internal representations of alternative voluntary actions.                   Front Psychol , 4     , Article 202.  10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00202 <https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00202>.       Green open access   
 
document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1393906/1/fpsyg-04-00202.pdf