Data from: Ageing and agency: age-related changes in susceptibility to illusory experiences of control

Sense of agency (SoAg) is the feeling of control over one's actions
and their effects. It can be augmented or attenuated by internal signals
and by external cues. Research has shown a reduction in the SoAg in older
adulthood, but the reasons behind this change remain unclear. We
investigated agency processing differences that may underpin age-related
changes in SoAg. Using a modified version of a vicarious agency paradigm,
we tested the modulation of SoAg by manipulating external situational
agency cues in younger and older adults. Our results show that the
illusion of vicarious agency was less pronounced in older adults. These
results were replicated in a second experiment which also showed that
older adults performed significantly better in interoception and
proprioception tasks. We suggest that increased reliance on internal cues
may explain differences in agency processing in older adulthood.