Abstract

A preliminary to any valid theory of voluntary action is a conceptual framework that permits it to be tested empirically. Where deficits in the conceptual framework make this impossible, the empirical data become uninterpretable. Here I show that “free choice” and “conflict” tasks exhibit such deficits, casting doubt on the testability of any theory that depends on them. I suggest that a revaluation of the tasks used to study voluntary action is necessary