Journal of Psychological Science ›› 2021, Vol. ›› Issue (5): 1273-1279.

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The development of the two-step account of sense of agency

  

  • Received:2019-03-26 Revised:2020-08-04 Online:2021-09-20 Published:2021-09-20
  • Contact: LI LiHong

施动感双层结构的发展

安灿翎,李力红,田昊月,李飞,金丹,布宇博,曹玲珊   

  1. 东北师范大学
  • 通讯作者: 李力红

Abstract: Gallagher defined the Minimal Self as the self with the property of pre-reflection, pre-language, and embodiment. Minimal Self refers to the most basic, immediate and direct empirical subject that still exists after all the non-essential characteristics related to self which have been stripped off. It includes Sense of Ownership (SO) and Sense of Agency (SoA). SO is the sense that I am the one who is undergoing an experience. SoA is the subjective experience in individuals’ voluntary action it is the subjective sense that I am the one who is initiating an action, For example, in a volleyball match, the participant can experience that she is the subject who wants to spike and is making the action. Revealing the development process of the SoA is of great significance for understanding the formation of self-consciousness, and it will also provide a new perspective of exploring the causes of various mental disorders. There is a two-step account of SoA, feeling of agency (FoA) and judgment of agency (JoA). Individuals’ FoA is emerged by matching the prediction of motion with the actual motion effects, and their JoA is produced by the inference from external environmental clues. This study introduced three stages of the SoA’s development from the perspective of the two-step account. The development of SoA has a strong correlation with the formation of self-consciousness and it has three segments. The first stage is from fetus to newborn; their movements in this stage become important basis for the development of SoA. The second stage is from newborn to 8-month, the FoA beginning to develop. The third stage is from 8-month to 4 years old; in this stage, the JoA gradually formed. And the key to the development of SoA is to found an action-effect causal association. Good interpersonal interaction can provide good behavioral feedbacks for infants and then promote infants to form the action-effect causal association. Good interpersonal interaction also provides children more opportunity to make decisions and this will let them more changes to practice their JoA. Thus, good interpersonal interaction is a significant environmental impact factor in the development of SoA. In this process, the nurses not only need to interact actively with young individuals but also need to give them some space for reflecting their actions. This paper points out the shortcomings of the three-stage development model of SoA and also believes that future research should be focused on explaining the development of the SoA from a variety of theoretical perspectives, such as Theory of Apparent Mental Causation and Cue Integration Theory. From these two theories may be more helpful to explain the development process of JoA and the influence factor of JoA. Second, modifying the measurement paradigm of SoA for infants and young children, need to find a more convenient and accurate way to measure the SoA for young individuals. Third, the role of SoA development in social cognitive development. Fourth, explore the relationship between the development of SoA and autism spectrum disorder will be of great significance to explain the causes and treatment of their symptoms.

Key words: minimal self, sense of agency, development, interpersonal interaction

摘要: 施动感是个体在自主运动过程中对自身行为产生的主体性体验,揭示其发展过程对了解自我意识的形成具有重要意义。三阶段模式全面概括了施动感的发展过程。婴儿形成动作预测、建立动作-效果联结以及与养育者良好的人际互动对施动感的发展起着重要作用。未来施动感发展研究应从多种施动感生成理论出发,改进婴幼儿施动感的测量范式,探索施动感发展与社会认知发展、自闭症症状的关联。

关键词: 最小自我, 施动感, 发展, 人际互动