Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: May 20, 2025
Date Accepted: Jun 29, 2026
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Mobile app-based tracking of daily general explicit and local implicit sense of agency: Statistical descriptions and associations
ABSTRACT
Background:
Sense of agency (SoA) refers to the feeling of controlling one’s actions and influencing the external world. SoA is important for behavioral change and goal achievement, and its measurement via digital devices has gained attention in health promotion and therapeutic interventions.
Objective:
This study describes longitudinal changes and individual variations in general explicit SoA (GenExp-SoA) and local implicit SoA (LocalImp-SoA) measured in daily life using a mobile app and examines their relationships and associations with demographic and personality traits.
Methods:
One hundred adults in Japan participated in a three-month survey, completing daily app-based assessments of GenExp-SoA (using the Sense of Agency Scale) and LocalImp-SoA (using effect binding with the Libet clock method). Personality traits were evaluated via the Big Five questionnaire. A linear mixed model was used to evaluate longitudinal changes and interactions with personal characteristics for both types of SoA and their relationship.
Results:
GenExp-SoA decreased over time (β: -0.008, p-trend < 0.001). The decrease was notable in women (β: -0.019, p-trend < 0.001) and those with extraversion scores higher than the median (β: -0.019, p-trend < 0.001), yet increased in those aged >= 50 years (β: 0.023, p-trend < 0.001). Local implicit SoA also decreased (β: -0.003, p-trend < 0.05), but its association with personal characteristics was limited. No significant correlation was found between GenExp-SoA and LocalImp-SoA.
Conclusions:
GenExp-SoA and LocalImp-SoA measured in daily life settings displayed divergent patterns of change and variability, as well as disparate associations with individual characteristics. These findings may inform the design and evaluation of epidemiological studies and digital health interventions targeting SoA.
Citation
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