Interoception in Mother-Child Dyads

The present study seeks to answer the primary question: are mothers able to perceive changes in their child's heart rate? In the psychology literature, this is referred to as cardiac interoception.

What inspired this project is our love for internal perception (Emma's research interest) and emotion regulation in the context of parent-child interactions (Madie’s research interest).

The method by which we plan to conduct our study is novel, and if we are able to determine that a mother's interoceptive ability allows for interpretation of their child's physical/emotional needs, future research can begin to consider interoception as a tool for improving the quality of parent-child relationships.

This research project will allow us as M.S. students to investigate a question that has not previously been answered and, if found significant, can have several clinical applications in Child Developmental Psychology.

Agency:
Type: Research
Fund Name: Interoception in Mother-Child Dyads Study
Fund Allocation: 5274
Purpose: To provide support for for a novel research study examining interoception in mother-child dyads.
Goal not met: If we raise less funds than originally planned, the project will continue; however, we will have to provide less compensation to the parent and child participants. With less compensation, there is less incentive for parents to participate; as a result, the project may take longer to complete.
Goal exceeded: Since the age of development that we are investigating in children is pivotal (middle childhood), we would change the original study design from being cross-sectional to longitudinal (if we receive greater funding than originally projected). Longitudinal studies can provide greater insight into the development of interoceptive ability, and we would be able to follow these children into adolescents, and the parents would be provided compensation for their continued participation.