Abstract :
[en] According to the framework of embodied cognition, perception is actively constructed across exteroceptive, interoceptive, and proprioceptive modalities. Exteroception relies on the senses to detect external stimuli originating outside the body, which generally remain stable and out of the person’s control. Interoception and proprioception gather information from internal organs and body status, respectively. This information is more variable because it can be influenced by active engagement. However, active engagement’s effect on interoceptive and proprioceptive processes regarding perception remains nebulous. By resorting to the principles of predictive coding, we hypothesize that the active engagement of interoceptive and proprioceptive modalities will provide a perceptual advantage as the result of physiological recruitment which drives attention (higher precision) to the objective reality. In a three-factor repeated-measures design, 39 participants will perform a visual rotation detection task at the end of each 20-minute, randomized condition: a) Diaphragmatic Breathing, for active interoceptive engagement, b) Isometric Handgrip Task, for active proprioceptive engagement, and c) Arithmetic Task, as the control condition. Low-frequency/High-frequency heart rate variability will be measured throughout to account for emotional affect. Behaviorally, performance will be measured with signal detection accuracy (d’), and reaction times modeled via drift-diffusion modeling with confidence rating as parameters. Attention to the presented stimuli will be measured with the EEG-elicited P300 component amplitude. We hypothesize that Diaphragmatic Breathing will lead to more accurate perceptual performance (higher accuracy, faster response times, larger P300 amplitude), followed by the Isometric Handgrip Task, and the control task. This hypothesis is based on previous work supporting that interoception maintains an optimal range of physiological states to promote advantageous behavior and cognition. If the hypothesis is supported, it will suggest that actively engaged physiological processes act as an “anchor” to the environment, providing new grounds for supplemental interventions to assist with perceptual disturbances, such as hallucinatory phenomena. If the hypothesis is not supported, it will suggest that perception and physiology are not as co-dependent, supporting the need for further research on the efficacy of body-oriented interventions.
