The Relationship Between Interoceptive Sensibility and Perceptual Switching

Previous studies have shown that various individual characteristics are related to perceptual switching in perceptual competition situations, but no research has examined its relationship with interoception. Interoception may influence perceptual switching by affecting awareness of neurophysiological responses that predict switching. This study investigated the relationship between perceptual switching and interoception using two types of bistable apparent motion stimuli with adjusted switching rates. 201 participants in Experiment 1 and 202 participants in Experiment 2 reported the frequency of perceptual switches and completed the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) questionnaire to measure interoceptive sensibility. The results revealed that participants with higher scores in the “Noticing” factor of interoception were more likely to experience perceptual switching. Future studies should use static ambiguous figures and consider the control intentions of perceptual switching to investigate this relationship further.