High level of literacy required (designed by doctors and university graduates), time consuming, and often open to biases and still subjective
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Laboratory measures?
Induce pain in a controlled manor. Eg. cold pressor task, or algometer
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Biological theories of pain?
Specificity theory and pattern theory
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Specificity theory?
Pain is detected by pain sensory, pain receptors in the skin which transmit this information to the brain for processing
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Pattern theory?
Pain is perceived, only when a neural stimulation exceeds a threshold
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Problems with biological theories?
Ignores psychological factors and emotional pain. What about feelings of pain with lack of receptors or vice versa
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Phantom limb pain?
Experiencing pain in the absence of pain receptors, eg. pain as if from an absent limb
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Congential analgesia?
Rare condition where people are born with the inability to feel pain, but have an intact pain pathway (functioning pain receptors)
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Psychological factors?
Attention, meaning, and mood
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Attention?
Pain perception fails to occur immediately post injury, possibly due to distraction/attention or physiological arousal
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James et al (2002)?
People could stay longer during cold pressor task if they were given a distraction
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Meaning?
Meaning ascribed to the injury/pain may make it feel more or less positive/negative
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Beecher et al (1959)?
Observed soldiers requests for pain relief, 25% asked, where as civilians asked 80% of the time. Likely because soldiers felt happier about it because they associated it with going home
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Mood?
People with lower mood may be able to feel less/ withstand more pain than those in better moods, especially shown in cases of depression
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Pinerua et al (1999)?
Depressed participants could withstand for longer in the cold pressor task than control participants
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Gate control theory?
Believes information from receptors is relayed to brain via nerves BUT the pain gate is in the spinal column. Emotions, mental conditions and physical conditions can open or close the gate
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Advantages of the gate model?
Holistic view, and allowes for individual variability in pain perception. Allows for psychological intervention
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Pain treatments?
Biological: drug treatments and biofeedback. Psychological: hypnosis and distraction techniques
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Drug treatments?
Morphine, most popular and widespread. However, could lead to side effects and addiction
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Biofeedback?
Target body function to be brought under control, function is tracked by a machine and fed back to patient. Patient then tries to change bodily function using continuous feedback
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Hypnosis?
Works via relaxation
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Distraction techniques?
Limits pain by giving patients something else to think about
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