Body focus and cardioceptive accuracy are not associated with physical performance and perceived fatigue in a sample of individuals with regular physical activity

• Published in: Psychophysiology Vol. 58; no. 9; pp. e13880 - n/a
• Main Authors: Kósa, Lili, Mikó, Alexandra, Ferentzi, Eszter, Szabolcs, Zsuzsanna, Bogdány, Tamás, Ihász, Ferenc, Köteles, Ferenc
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.09.2021
• Subjects: Accuracy; Acuity; Adult; Attention - physiology; Bayesian analysis; Bicycling - physiology; cardioceptive accuracy; ECG; Exercise; Exercise - physiology; Fatigue; Fatigue - physiopathology; Female; Heart rate; Heart Rate - physiology; Humans; Interoception - physiology; introspection; Male; mental heartbeat tracking task; Physical activity; physical exertion; Physical Exertion - physiology; Physical Functional Performance; Respiratory Rate - physiology; Young Adult; ECG; physical exertion; introspection; cardioceptive accuracy; mental heartbeat tracking task
• ISSN: 0048-5772; 1469-8986; 1540-5958
• DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13880

It is often assumed that distracting attention from unpleasant body sensations evoked by physical exertion can alleviate perceived fatigue and increase physical performance. Also, the higher acuity of perception of heartbeats was associated with less physical performance in one study with sedentary participants. The current study was designed to shed more light on these associations. In a within‐subject experiment, 98 students characterized by regular physical activity completed the Schandry‐task assessing cardioceptive accuracy and cycled for 15 min on a bicycle ergometer at a convenient pace, listening to their own breathing through a headset (internal attention condition) or to distracting noises (external attention condition). Physical performance (number of pedal turns), physical exertion (heart rate), and self‐reported fatigue were assessed for both tasks. Frequentist and Bayesian analyses showed no impact of the direction of attention and cardioceptive accuracy on physical performance, exertion, and perceived fatigue. In fact, the lack of association between cardioceptive accuracy and performance and perceived fatigue was more probable than the alternative hypothesis. Impact of distraction and cardioceptive accuracy on subjective and objective characteristics of physical exercise in the aerobic domain may be different for physically active and sedentary individuals. Future research in this area should systematically explore the background of these differences. Experimental findings on the impact of direction of attention and the acuity of perception of heartbeat on various aspects of physical performance with self‐selected intensity are equivocal. Due to methodological weaknesses, such as small samples, inclusion of individuals with sedentary lifestyle and issues with the experimental manipulation, the reported results are not generalizable and open to alternative explanations. Applying a more sound methodology, the current study could not replicate previous findings.