Direct gaze enhances interoceptive accuracy

AbstractInteroception (perception of one’s own physiological state) has been suggested to underpin social cognition, although the mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. The current study aimed to elucidate the relationship between interoception and two factors underlying social cognition: self-other boundary and sensitivity to social cues. We measured performance in a heartbeat perception task as an index of interoceptive accuracy (IAc), the frequency of spontaneous facial mimicry (SFM) as an index of self-other boundary, and the degree of the effect of eye contact on SFM (difference in SFM between conditions in which models’ eyes were directed to and averted from participants) as an index of social-cue sensitivity, and tested correlations among these measures. The results revealed that IAc and SFM were positively correlated only in the direct gaze condition. The extent of the effect of eye contact on SFM (difference in frequency between direct vs. averted conditions) was positively correlated with IAc. These overall findings were also observed in separate analyses of male and female participant groups, supporting the robustness of the findings. The results suggest that interoception is related to sensitivity to social cues, and may also be related to the self-other boundary with modulation by social context.

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The Relationship Between Interoception and Metacognition

Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1027/0269-8803/a000157 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 76-86 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Judith Meessen ◽

Verena Mainz ◽

Siegfried Gauggel ◽

Eftychia Volz-Sidiropoulou ◽

Stefan Sütterlin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Memory Performance ◽

Memory Task ◽

Demographic Characteristics ◽

Metacognitive Awareness ◽

Interoceptive Awareness ◽

Future Research ◽

Heartbeat Perception ◽

Interoceptive Accuracy ◽

The Relationship

Abstract. Recently, Garfinkel and Critchley (2013) proposed to distinguish between three facets of interoception: interoceptive sensibility, interoceptive accuracy, and interoceptive awareness. This pilot study investigated how these facets interrelate to each other and whether interoceptive awareness is related to the metacognitive awareness of memory performance. A sample of 24 healthy students completed a heartbeat perception task (HPT) and a memory task. Judgments of confidence were requested for each task. Participants filled in questionnaires assessing interoceptive sensibility, depression, anxiety, and socio-demographic characteristics. The three facets of interoception were found to be uncorrelated and interoceptive awareness was not related to metacognitive awareness of memory performance. Whereas memory performance was significantly related to metamemory awareness, interoceptive accuracy (HPT) and interoceptive awareness were not correlated. Results suggest that future research on interoception should assess all facets of interoception in order to capture the multifaceted quality of the construct.

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Supplemental Material for A Meta-Analysis on the Relationship Between Interoceptive Awareness and Alexithymia: Distinguishing Interoceptive Accuracy and Sensibility

Journal of Abnormal Psychology ◽

10.1037/abn0000454.supp ◽

2019 ◽

Keyword(s):

Meta Analysis ◽

Interoceptive Awareness ◽

Interoceptive Accuracy ◽

The Relationship

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Diverted Gaze Captures Attention Easier Than Direct Gaze

International Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2021.07.529 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 168 ◽

pp. S194-S195

Author(s):

Enguang Chen ◽

Hailing Wang

Keyword(s):

Direct Gaze

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Task-irrelevant direct gaze facilitates visual search for deviant facial expression

Visual Cognition ◽

10.1080/13506285.2013.779350 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 72-98 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Hirokazu Doi ◽

Kazuyuki Shinohara

Keyword(s):

Visual Search ◽

Facial Expression ◽

Direct Gaze ◽

Task Irrelevant

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Exophoria: clinical features, diagnosis, treatment. The modern view on the problem. Literature review

Modern technologies in ophtalmology ◽

10.25276/2312-4911-2021-2-52-55 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 52-55

Author(s):

O.A. Lipunova ◽

◽

I.L. Plisov ◽

V.V. Cherhykh ◽

N.G. Antsiferova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surgical Treatment ◽

Type A ◽

The State ◽

Type A Pattern ◽

Direct Gaze ◽

Modern View ◽

Convergence Insufficiency ◽

Horizontal Type ◽

Type V ◽

Gaze Position

Purpose. Create a summary classification of exophoria. To propose an optimal algorithm for optometric and surgical methods of treatment. A modern view of the problem. It is optimal to subdivide exophoria according to the state of the vergent-duction balance into divergence excess, basic exophoria, convergence insufficiency, divergence pseudo-excess, lateral gaze incomitance. By the degree of compensation for compensated, subcompensated, uncompensated, decompensated. In combination with alphabetic pattern for exophoria without pattern, exophoria in combination with horizontal type A pattern, exophoria in combination with vertical type A pattern, exophoria in combination with horizontal type V pattern, exophoria in combination with vertical type V pattern. Features of optimal optical and prismatic correction depend on the state of the vergent-duction balance. In cases of exophoria without pattern surgical treatment is carried out during the transition from a state of subcompensation to non-compensation. In case of exophoria with horizontal-type alphabetical pattern, combined horizontal-transpositional surgery is optimal: elimination of exophoria, the protocol is based on the amount of deviation in the direct gaze position; elimination of the pattern, the protocol is based on vertical transposition of muscles of horizontal action. In cases of exophoria with vertical-type pattern, it is necessary to perform staged vertical-horizontal surgery: stage 1 – elimination of vertical heterotropy in adduction; stage 2 – elimination of exophoria (the protocol is based on the amount of deviation in the direct gaze position). Conclusions. The treatment protocol should be based on a reliably diagnosed diagnosis and consists at the pre-surgical stage in the optimal optical and prismatic correction, the appointment of orthopto-diplopto-prismatic treatment. The effectiveness of treatment is assessed by the dynamics of the disease: the magnitude of exodeviation and the stage of compensation. The protocol of surgical treatment must be reasonable and timely. Key words: exophoria, divergence excess, convergence insufficiency, basic exotropia, lateral gaze incomitance, alphabet pattern.

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Age-Related Effects on Interoceptive Accuracy, General Interoceptive Sensibility, and Specific Interoceptive Sensibility

European Journal of Health Psychology ◽

10.1027/2512-8442/a000060 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 27 (4) ◽

pp. 154-170 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

L. Nusser ◽

O. Pollatos ◽

D. Zimprich

Keyword(s):

Structural Equation ◽

Empirical Support ◽

Self Report ◽

Three Dimensions ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Adult Lifespan ◽

Age Related ◽

Physical Diseases ◽

Interoceptive Accuracy ◽

Subjective Belief

Abstract. Background: The current research into interoception distinguishes between interoceptive accuracy (IAcc), the accurate detection of internal sensations (e.g., heartbeats) as measured by performance on objective IAcc tasks, and interoceptive sensibility (IS), the subjective belief concerning one’s own experience of internal sensations as measured either through self-report questionnaires or through one’s confidence in the accuracy during an IAcc task. Aims: As the two measures of IS, however, are usually uncorrelated and show differential relationships to IAcc, we suggest different types of IS, a general IS and a specific IS. Further, based on a growing body of research linking IAcc and IS to physical and mental diseases, the development of interoception across the adult lifespan is of importance. Methods: Using Structural Equation Modeling the present paper investigates the relationships among IAcc assessed by a heartbeat counting task, and the two proposed dimensions of IS in 138 participants ( Mage = 42.67, SDage = 18.77). Furthermore, we examine age-related differences in IAcc, as well as in general and specific IS. Results: In terms of the relationship between the three dimensions, general and specific IS were weakly correlated and exhibited different relationships to IAcc. Further, we found different age effects on the three interoceptive dimensions. Whereas IAcc decreased with age, specific IS tend to increase with age, and general IS remained unaffected by age. Conclusion: The findings provide further empirical support for a dissociation between general and specific IS and raised important questions concerning the relation between interoceptive accuracy and the emergence of physical diseases in older age.

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#3083 Fibromyalgia and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS): an interoceptive predictive coding model of pain and fatigue expression

Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry ◽

10.1136/jnnp-2021-bnpa.10 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 92 (8) ◽

pp. A3.3-A4

Author(s):

Harriet Sharp ◽

Kristy Themelis ◽

Marisa Amato ◽

Andrew Barritt ◽

Kevin Davies ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prediction Error ◽

Predictive Coding ◽

Chronic Fatigue ◽

Self Report ◽

Subjective Experiences ◽

Double Blind ◽

Pain Thresholds ◽

Pressure Pain Thresholds ◽

Interoceptive Accuracy ◽

Bodily States

IntroductionThe aetiology and pathophysiology of fibromyalgia and ME/CFS are poorly characterised but altered inflammatory, autonomic and interoceptive processes have been implicated. Interoception has been conceptualised as a predictive coding process; where top-down prediction signals compare to bottom-up afferents, resulting in prediction error signals indicating mismatch between expected and actual bodily states. Chronic dyshomeostasis and elevated interoceptive prediction error signals have been theorised to contribute to the expression of pain and fatigue in fibromyalgia and ME/CFS.Objectives/AimsTo investigate how altered interoception and prediction error relates to baseline expression of pain and fatigue in fibromyalgia and ME/CFS and in response to an inflammatory challenge.MethodsSixty-five patients with fibromyalgia and/or ME/CFS diagnosis and 26 matched controls underwent baseline assessment: self-report questionnaires assessing subjective pain and fatigue and objective measurements of pressure-pain thresholds. Participants received injections of typhoid (inflammatory challenge) or saline (placebo) in a randomised, double-blind, crossover design, then completed heartbeat tracking task (assessing interoceptive accuracy). Porges Body Questionnaire assessed interoceptive sensibility. Interoceptive prediction error (IPE) was calculated as discrepancy between objective accuracy and subjective sensibility.ResultsPatients with fibromyalgia and ME/CFS had significantly higher IPE (suggesting tendency to over-estimate interoceptive ability) and interoceptive sensibility, despite no differences in interoceptive accuracy. IPE and sensibility correlated positively with all self-report fatigue and pain measures, and negatively with pain thresholds. Following inflammatory challenge, IPE correlated negatively with the mismatch between subjective and objective measures of pain induced by inflammation.ConclusionsThis is the first study to reveal altered interoception processes in patients with fibromyalgia and ME/CFS, who are known to have dysregulated autonomic function. Notably, we found elevated IPE in patients, correlating with their subjective experiences of pain and fatigue. We hypothesise a predictive coding model, where mismatch between expected and actual internal bodily states (linked to autonomic dysregulation) results in prediction error signalling which could be metacognitively interpreted as chronic pain and fatigue. Our results demonstrate potential for further exploration of interoceptive processing in patients with fibromyalgia and ME/CFS, aiding understanding of these poorly defined conditions and providing potential new targets for diagnostic and therapeutic intervention.

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Effects of unilateral frontal eye-field lesions on eye-head coordination in monkey

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.1986.55.4.696 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 55 (4) ◽

pp. 696-714 ◽

Cited By ~ 50

Author(s):

J. van der Steen ◽

I. S. Russell ◽

G. O. James

Keyword(s):

Visual Search ◽

Search Task ◽

Visual Search Task ◽

Peak Velocity ◽

Head Movements ◽

Frontal Eye Field ◽

Behavioral Task ◽

Direct Gaze ◽

Relative Neglect ◽

Eye Field

We studied the effects of unilateral frontal eye-field (FEF) lesions on eye-head coordination in monkeys that were trained to perform a visual search task. Eye and head movements were recorded with the scleral search coil technique using phase angle detection in a homogeneous electromagnetic field. In the visual search task all three animals showed a neglect for stimuli presented in the field contralateral to the lesion. In two animals the neglect disappeared within 2-3 wk. One animal had a lasting deficit. We found that FEF lesions that are restricted to area 8 cause only temporary deficits in eye and head movements. Up to a week after the lesion the animals had a strong preference to direct gaze and head to the side ipsilateral to the lesion. Animals tracked objects in contralateral space with combined eye and head movements, but failed to do this with the eyes alone. It was found that within a few days after the lesion, eye and head movements in the direction of the target were initiated, but they were inadequate and had long latencies. Within 1 wk latencies had regained preoperative values. Parallel with the recovery on the behavioral task, head movements became more prominent than before the lesion. Four weeks after the lesion, peak velocity of the head movement had increased by a factor of two, whereas the duration showed a twofold decrease compared with head movements before the lesion. No effects were seen on the duration and peak velocity of gaze. After the recovery on the behavioral task had stabilized, a relative neglect in the hemifield contralateral to the lesion could still be demonstrated by simultaneously presenting two stimuli in the left and right visual hemifields. The neglect is not due to a sensory deficit, but to a disorder of programming. The recovery from unilateral neglect after a FEF lesion is the result of a different orienting behavior, in which head movements become more important. It is concluded that the FEF plays an important role in the organization and coordination of eye and head movements and that lesions of this area result in subtle but permanent changes in eye-head coordination.

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