A heartfelt response to Zimprich et al. (2020), and Ainley et al. (2020)'s commentaries: Acknowledging issues with the HCT would benefit interoception research

Abstract

In two Commentaries, Zimprich et al. (2020), and Ainley et al. (2020) dispute conclusions raised by Zamariola et al. (2018) in a large sample study that questioned the validity of IAcc scores derived from the Heartbeat Counting Task (HCT). After clarifying the reliability of our procedures and the robustness of our main findings, we address the four points of contention discussed in the Commentaries. In doing so, we spell out why research using the HCT faces important interpretational issues, and we call for a theoretical clarification on the construct. In our conclusion, we provide recommendations for improving HCT research and research on interoception in general.

Keywords: Construct validity; Interoception; Interoceptive accuracy; Methods.