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Published Online:https://doi.org/10.1026/0012-1924/a000195

Zusammenfassung. Aufgaben zur Entdeckung und Verfolgung der eigenen Herzschläge werden standardmäßig als ein Maß für eine umfassendere interozeptive Fähigkeit eingesetzt. Bei der Auswertung dieser Aufgaben wird aber nur selten ein echtes Maß für die Sensitivität der Wahrnehmung körpereigener Signale verwendet. Die vorliegende Studie hat sich deshalb dieser Fragestellung angenommen und die Daten einer sogenannten Herzschlagentdeckungsaufgabe (HBDT) mithilfe der Signalentdeckungstheorie (SDT) ausgewertet. Die Ergebnisse (N = 44) zeigen entsprechend, dass der so gewonnene Sensitivitätsindex (d’) deutlich unabhängiger von der reinen Anzahl der in einer motorischen HBDT abgegebenen Reaktionen ist, als herkömmliche Maße der Herzschlagentdeckungsfähigkeit. Mit d’ kann somit eine vielfach kritisierte Konfundierung bei den herkömmlichen Maßen aufgelöst und dadurch die Validität der HBDT erhöht werden. Darüber hinaus konnte, wie schon wiederholt mit einem herkömmlichen Accuracy-Maß gezeigt, auch mit unserem SDT-Index d’ ein Trainingseffekt der interozeptiven Fähigkeit nachgewiesen werden. Ferner ist an dieser Studie innovativ, dass zur Feststellung der tatsächlichen Herztätigkeit erstmalig die Doppler-Sonographie eingesetzt wurde.


Analysis of Heartbeat Tracking Tasks by Means of the Signal-Detection Theory

Abstract. Heartbeat detection and tracking tasks are standard approaches for measuring comprehensive interoceptive abilities. Proper measures for the sensitivity of the conscious sensation of bodily signals, however, are rarely applied during analyses of such tasks. The present study aims to contribute significantly to this problem and, therefore, analyzes the data of a heartbeat-detection task (HBDT) by means of the signal-detection theory (SDT). The results (N = 44) showed that the sensitivity index (d’) is significantly less dependent on the sheer number of putative detection reactions than traditional measures (accuracy scores) of interoceptive abilities. Hence, by using d’, a prevalent criticized confounding can be resolved and thus the validity of the HBDT increases. In addition, evidence for the trainability of interoceptive awareness – as shown by past studies utilizing the traditional accuracy score – was also provided by use of the sensitivity index d’. A further novelty of this study is the application of duplex ultrasonography for the visualization of cardiac activity in a HBDT.

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