Previous studies have documented temporal attraction in perceived times of actions and their effects. While some authors argue
that voluntary action is a necessary condition for this phenomenon, others claim that the causal relationship between action
and effect is the crucial ingredient. In the present study, we investigate voluntary action and causality as the necessary
and sufficient conditions for temporal binding. We used a variation of the launching effect proposed by Michotte, in which
participants controlled the launch stimulus in some blocks. Volunteers reported causality ratings and estimated the interval
between the two events. Our results show dissociations between causality ratings and temporal estimation. While causality
ratings are not affected by voluntary action, temporal bindings were only found in the presence of both voluntary action and
high causality. Our results indicate that voluntary action and causality are both necessary for the emergence of temporal
binding.
Keywords Intentional binding - Causality - Time perception - Voluntary action