It’s one of the most common arguments in basketball: Who hit that ball out of bounds? When two NBA players lunge for a ball end up tipping it out, neither wants to cop to the final touch. Refs are called in to arbitrate while both players deny their culpability, often in heated tones.

There’s an obvious motive behind wanting to avoid blame, but a new study shows that there might also be a neurological basis behind both players’ belief that their opponent touched the ball last. Our brains