Intentional binding and the sense of agency: A review

► Intentional binding is when actions and effects are bound together in perceived time. ► This is a review of the last 10 years of research on intentional binding. ► Prediction, feedback, beliefs and other people affect intentional binding. ► Intentional binding and the sense of pre-reflective agency appear to be linked. ► Remains to understand link, neural mechanisms, and relationship to explicit agency. It is nearly 10years since Patrick Haggard and colleagues first reported the ‘intentional binding’ effect (Haggard, Clark, & Kalogeras, 2002). The intentional binding effect refers to the subjective compression of the temporal interval between a voluntary action and its external sensory consequence. Since the first report, considerable interest has been generated and a fascinating array of studies has accumulated. Much of the interest in intentional binding comes from the promise to shed light on human agency. In this review we survey studies on intentional binding, focusing, in particular, on the link between intentional binding and the sense of agency (the experience of controlling action to influence events in the environment). We suggest that, whilst it is yet to be fully explicated, the link between intentional binding and the sense of agency is compelling. We conclude by considering outstanding questions and future directions for research on intentional binding.