Department of Psychology, University of Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, Leuven, Belgium.
Br J Health Psychol. 2011 May;16(Pt 2):359-72. doi: 10.1348/135910710X509900. Epub 2011 Mar 14.
Gating models of sensory perception suggest that increased attention towards the self leads to more on-line processing of sensory information and less report bias. However, little is known about the interaction of self-awareness with fearful beliefs about bodily sensations. In the present study, we explored report bias of breathing-related sensation under increased self-awareness compared to increased focus on external cues related to breathlessness. We expected report bias under internal focus to be lower than under external focus. However, we expected this effect of internal focus to be moderated by fearful beliefs about bodily sensations.
Thirty participants completed two appointments in which attention was directed either towards the self or towards the surroundings. On both sessions, participants' detection threshold for inspiratory loads, negative mood, and fear of bodily sensations was assessed. Changes in threshold were tested using repeated measures ANOVA. The role of fear of bodily sensations was tested in a within-subject moderation analysis.
Relative over report of sensations was lower under internal focus compared to external focus. However, this effect was moderated by fear of bodily sensations: the greater fear of bodily sensations was, the lower the effect of self-awareness. Results encourage research on the interaction of self-awareness and fearful beliefs in the top-down modulation of perception.
感觉感知的门控模型表明，对自我的关注度增加会导致对感觉信息的更多在线处理，以及更少的报告偏差。然而，对于自我意识与对身体感觉的恐惧信念之间的相互作用知之甚少。在本研究中，我们探讨了与呼吸相关的感觉在自我意识增加时与对呼吸急促相关的外部线索的关注增加时的报告偏差。我们预计内部焦点下的报告偏差会低于外部焦点下的报告偏差。然而，我们预计这种内部焦点的效果会受到对身体感觉的恐惧信念的调节。
30 名参与者完成了两次预约，注意力分别集中在自我或周围环境上。在两次会议上，评估了参与者对吸气负荷、负面情绪和对身体感觉的恐惧的检测阈值。使用重复测量方差分析测试阈值的变化。在一项基于主体的调节分析中测试了对身体感觉的恐惧的作用。
与外部焦点相比，内部焦点下感觉的过度报告率较低。然而，这种效果受到对身体感觉的恐惧的调节：对身体感觉的恐惧越大，自我意识的影响越低。结果鼓励对自我意识和恐惧信念在感知自上而下调节中的相互作用进行研究。
