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Balancing the "inner" and the "outer" self: interoceptive sensitivity modulates self-other boundaries
Ana Tajadura-Jiménez1, Manos Tsakiris2
1UCL Interaction Center, University College London.
Journal of Experimental Psychology. General
|June 12, 2013
Summary
Interoception, the sense of the body's internal state, modulates self-awareness. Lower interoceptive sensitivity alters self-other boundaries during multisensory integration, highlighting its role in self-recognition.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Psychology
Background:
- Self-awareness and social interaction depend on distinguishing self from other.
- This distinction is traditionally linked to visual feedback and multisensory integration.
- Interoceptive signals, related to internal bodily states, also contribute to self-awareness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the interaction between external (exteroceptive) and internal (interoceptive) self-perception.
- To explore how multisensory stimulation influences self-representation and identity.
- To determine the role of interoceptive sensitivity in modulating self-other boundaries.
Main Methods:
- Utilized multisensory stimulation between self and other to alter self-identity representation.
- Assessed interoceptive sensitivity in participants.
- Measured behavioral, physiological, and introspective responses to multisensory stimulation.
Main Results:
- Interoceptive sensitivity significantly predicted the malleability of self-representations.
- Participants with low interoceptive sensitivity showed altered self-other boundaries after multisensory stimulation.
- These findings suggest interoception plays a key role in the self-recognition system.
Conclusions:
- Interoceptive predictive coding models may govern the assignment of sensory input sources to self or other.
- The insular cortex is proposed as a convergence zone for interoception, multisensory integration, and self-processing.
- Interoception is crucial for maintaining stable self-other boundaries and a coherent sense of self.
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