Correlation of Explicit and Implicit Agency in Individuals with Anxiety

Abstract

Sensorimotor agency and Constructed agency are respectively paradigms of studying implicit and explicit agency. They are also referred to as sense of agency and judgement of agency and they both have implications in understanding how one perceives agents of action in motor actions of self as well as in the actions of others. This study studies how implicit agency, measured by intentional binding and explicit agency examined through a qualitative analysis of visual stimuli, present in individuals with self-reported symptoms of agency. While intentional binding is not correlated with the scores on the anxiety scale, the results nonetheless direct us to an understanding of how perceived control may present in individuals. The qualitative analysis revealed an increased perception and judgement of intentionality over accidentality in perceived actions of others overall and hence indicates the need for a more rigorous research design to study the same.