Selective attention for pain-related information in healthy individuals: the role of pain and fear.
The aim of this study was to investigate whether pain itself or pain-related fear is crucial in eliciting attentional bias towards pain-related information in healthy individuals. The results from two successive experiments provide evidence that attentional bias does not take place as a function of pain-related fear or as a function of pain per se. Attentional bias for pain words was neither found to be related to trait variables like anxiety, depression, catastrophising, fear of pain, and pain vigilance. Implications of the results are discussed and directions for future research are provided.
Roelofs
Jeffrey
J
Department of Medical, Clinical and Experimental Psychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. j.roelofs@dep.unimaas.nl
Peters
Madelon L
ML
Vlaeyen
Johan W S
JW
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000523:psychology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*