A Latent State-Trait Analysis of Interoceptive Accuracy

Interoceptive accuracy (IAc), i.e. the ability to accurately perceive one’s
own bodily signals, is widely assumed to be a trait, although experimental
manipulations, such as stress, may affect IAc. We used structural equation
modeling to estimate the reliability of IAc, and the proportions of individual
differences in IAc, explained by a trait and occasion-specific effects of
situation and person-situation interactions. We assessed IAc in 59 healthy
participants (40 women, MAge = 23.4 years) on three consecutive
measurement occasions, approx. one week apart, in a ‘rest’ and ‘poststress’
condition, using a heartbeat counting and a heartbeat discrimination
task. The results show fair temporal stability (intraclass correlation
coefficients ≥ 0.38) and good reliability (Mdn = .63; range .49-.83) for
both methods. While around 40% of the variance of a single IAc
measurement could be explained by a trait, approx. 27% were accounted
for by occasion-specific effects of situation and person-situation interaction.
These results suggest that IAc measures are relatively consistent and that
situations and person-situation interactions impact IAc as measured at a
certain point in time. An aggregation across at least two measurements is
recommended when using IAc as a trait variable.