Sensory Attenuation in the Auditory Modality as a Window Into Predictive Processing

Abstract

Self-generated auditory input is perceived less loudly than the same sounds generated externally. The existence of this phenomenon, called Sensory Attenuation (SA), has been studied for decades and is often explained by motor-based forward models. Recent developments in the research of SA, however, challenge these models. We review the current state of knowledge regarding theoretical implications about the significance of Sensory Attenuation and its role in human behavior and functioning. Focusing on behavioral and electrophysiological results in the auditory domain, we provide an overview of the characteristics and limitations of existing SA paradigms and highlight the problem of isolating SA from other predictive mechanisms. Finally, we explore different hypotheses attempting to explain heterogeneous empirical findings, and the impact of the Predictive Coding Framework in this research area.

Self-Initiation Enhances Perceptual Processing of Auditory Stimuli in an Online Experiment

“…These efference copies are in turn assumed to cause changes in the processing of self-generated stimuli, providing a suitable basis for the differentiation of self-generated and externally caused changes in the environment. Thus, while forwards models do highlight the importance of self-initiated actions in subsequent stimulus processing, an effect that was clearly present in our study, they fall short of providing an explanation for when self-generated stimuli should be enhanced rather than attenuated (Kiepe, Kraus & Hesselmann, 2021).…”

“…For instance, when the identity of a stimulus (Dogge et al, 2019b), or its temporality (Kaiser & Schütz-Bosbach, 2018), are predictable (e.g., through pre-learned cuesound associations), similar attenuation effects were found, independent of the participants' motor behavior. These results suggest that SA could provide a window into predictive processing of the sensory and cognitive apparatus, and thus may allow to study the core mechanisms underlying human perception and behavior (Kiepe, Kraus & Hesselmann, 2021).…”

Conscious agency vs. pre‐conscious sensory filtering: Disparate suppression of trigeminal blink reflex by self‐stimulation and by prepulses

“…Predictive processing states that we constantly make use of prior information, either self‐ or externally‐generated, in order to create predictions about upcoming changes in sensory input in the form of a generative model. In this framework, only the predictability of a stimulus determines its potential to elicit sensory attenuation, which again is not able to explain all findings, leaving room for hybrid models, combining the existence of an efference copy‐based forward model with a global predictive mechanism (for review see Kiepe et al, 2021).…”

The Use of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Attention Optimization Research: A Review from Basic Theory to Findings in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Depression

“…Including these elements would contribute to a more nuanced exploration of attention processes in the context of sensory perception and action. The modulation of the brain’s attention system through passive perception of sensory influx refers to the influence of sensory input on attentional processes without active engagement or intentional focus [ 8 ]. In this context, sensory information from the environment, such as auditory or visual stimuli, can impact attentional mechanisms even when an individual is not consciously directing their attention toward that specific input [ 9 ].…”