A test of the validity of the method of constant stimuli as an index of heartbeat detection.

A heartbeat detection task, based on the method of constant stimuli (MCS), requires participants to judge which of a series of tones presented at different delays following a heartbeat are coincident with the heartbeat. Two experiments were conducted to test the validity of the MCS in assessing individual differences in the ability to detect heartbeat sensations. The first experiment found the MCS to be valid, in that about one-third of subjects met the criterion for classification as heartbeat detectors when the tones were presented with respect to their actual heartbeats, but only one subject met the criterion when the tones were presented with respect to previously recorded heartbeats. The second experiment manipulated the timing of the comparison intervals (i.e., R + 100-600 ms rather than R + 0-500 ms) to examine the validity of the median R-wave to tone interval as an index of temporal location of perceived heartbeats, and found it to be a valid index.