Thermal pain: A sensory decision theory analysis of the effect of age and sex on d', various response criteria, and 50% pain threshold.

Wc, Clark; Mehl, Louis

doi:10.1037/h0031800

Cited by 125 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…For a single form of paininduction, radiant heat, Clark and Mehl (1971) found that pain thresholds did not differ across sexes, whereas Della Corte, Procacci, Bozza, and Buzzelli (1965) reported that they were significantly lower in women than in men. Goolkasian (1980) found that women who used oral contraceptives did not differ from men in the likelihood of reporting thermal stimuli as painful; however, women who experience ovulation demonstrated a heightened pain responsiveness.…”

Section: Gender Differences In Pain Responsivenessmentioning

confidence: 97%

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The detectability, discriminability, and perceived magnitude of painful electrical shock

Rollman

Harris

1987

Perception & Psychophysics

109

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Thresholds for sensation, pain, and tolerance were obtained from 20 male and 20 female observers who received trains of electrical pulses applied to the volar forearm. Also determined were estimates of sensory magnitude for a series of stimuli that spanned the pain sensitivity range (PSR) between pain threshold and tolerance, as well as Weber fractions for the discrimination of stimuli at the midpoint of the PSR. There were great individual differences in all dependent variables. Females had significantly lower values for all thresholds but did not differ from males in the growth of sensory magnitude or in discriminatory capacity. Power functions, with a median exponent of 1.74 and a mean of 2.39, fit the scaling data well. The results are analyzed for a suggested negative correlation between exponent and stimulus range. The presence of such an effect indicates that electrocutaneous stimulation provides a powerful technique for the analysis of individual differences and the evaluation of psychophysical theories.Electrical stimulation of the skin provides a useful induction method for laboratory studies of pain (Procacci, Della Corte, et al., 1974;Rollman, 1983a; Smith & Andrew, 1970): it is readily graded in intensity, can be turned on and off instantaneously, and produces no lasting physical damage.Past research has typically demonstrated that the subjective magnitudes of the sensations produced by electrical pulses can be related to their current or voltage by a power function with an exponent greater than unity, indicating that the perceived intensity grows at a rate faster than the physical one. The reported value of the exponent of the power function has varied considerably, from near 1.0 to beyond 3.0 (e.g., Algom, Raphaeli, & Cohen- Raz, 1986; Babkoff, 1976 Babkoff, , 1978 Beck & Rosner, 1968;Bevan, 1966;Bromm & Treede, 1980; Bujas, Szabo, Kovacic, & Rohacek, 1975; Ekman, Frankenhaeuser, Levander, & Mellis, 1964Hawkes, 1960; McCallum & Goldberg, 1975;Sachs, Miller, & Grant, 1980;Sternbach & Tursky, 1964;Stevens, Carton, & Shickman, 1958;Tashiro & Higashiyama, 1981). These differences can be ascribed, in part, to the effects of stimulus parameters and correction of the power function for threshold (Rollman, 1974), to the nature and scaling of the physical stimulus (Myers, 1982), to the painfulness of the presentations (Jones, 1980), and to regression and range effects (Cross, Tursky, & Lodge, 1975).Although electrical shocks can be painful, most of the studies cited above determined power functions at levels that were weak enough for the sensation to be described as being tactile rather than nociceptive. Although there This research was supported by Grant AO-392 from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to the senior author. Requests for reprints should be sent to Gary B. Rollman, Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5C2, Canada.have been attempts to obtain psychophysical functions for intense stimuli in several modalities (e.g

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Section: Gender Differences In Pain Responsivenessmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Clark and Mehl (1971) summarized much of the early data: some studies found that women have a lower pain threshold than men, whereas others reported no difference. Inconsistencies across pain studies may be ascribed to stimulus and response differences, among others (Rollman, 1983a).…”

Section: Gender Differences In Pain Responsivenessmentioning

confidence: 99%

The detectability, discriminability, and perceived magnitude of painful electrical shock

Rollman

Harris

1987

Perception & Psychophysics

109

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“…They showed also that pain thresholds in women are closely related to the menstrual cycle. Others report little if any differences in pain thresholds (Clark & Mehl, 1971). Sensitivity to odors has been shown to be more acute in women (Koelega, 1970; Koster, 1965;Schneider, 1967) and also to be related to the menstrual cycle (Koster, 1965;Le Magnen, 1953).…”

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confidence: 99%

Comparison of vibrotactile threshold and suprathreshold responses in men and women

Verrillo

1979

Perception & Psychophysics

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Vibrotactile thresholds were measured on the thenar eminence of 12 men and 12 women at 10 sinusoidal frequencies. No significant differences between the two groups were observed. Magnitude estimation and production procedures carried out with 6 men and 6 women from the same groups showed that women perceive suprathreshold vibration stimuli as more intense than do men, although women and men do not differ in their estimation of the length of lines.Differences in threshold sensrtrvity for men and women have been reported for several sense modalities. Auditory acuity, for instance, is about the same up to approximately age 50. During this period both sexes show a slight and gradual loss. Following age 50 men show an accelerated loss relative to women for frequencies of 3,000 Hz and above (Spoor, 1967). Corso (1963) states that the onset of presbycusis is more gradual and uniform for women, but that once started it is more rapid for women.Procacci, Zoppi, Maresca, and Romano (1974) report that women are more sensitive to pain than men throughout the age span. They showed also that pain thresholds in women are closely related to the menstrual cycle. Others report little if any differences in pain thresholds (Clark & Mehl, 1971). Sensitivity to odors has been shown to be more acute in women (Koelega, 1970; Koster, 1965;Schneider, 1967) and also to be related to the menstrual cycle (Koster, 1965;Le Magnen, 1953). The author was unable to find comparative studies between men and women regarding visual acuity.Women were found to be more sensitive to vibration than men by Goff, Rosner, Detre, and Kennard (1965), who also report a gradual loss of sensitivity for women with age beginning in the late teens. Men, on the other hand, were found to have stable thresholds to 45 years of age before sensitivity decreases. A number of studies, however, found no differences between men and women with respect to vibrotactile threshold measurements (Plumb & Meigs, 1961;Steinberg & Graber, 1963;Verrillo & Ecker, 1977).All of the studies relating to sensory functions and sex report threshold data. None have dealt with suprathreshold phenomena. The present investigation was undertaken to determine if differences exist be- tween men and women in their sensitivity to vibration and in their perceived magnitudes of suprathreshold stimuli. APPARATUS AND METHODThe subjects were seated with forearm and hand, palm down, resting on a rigid surface. The vibrator was located on an adjustable platform beneath the rigid surface with the 2.9-cm 2 contactor protruding through a hole in the surface. The gap between the contactor and the edge of the rigid surround was 1.0 mm. Before testing, the height of the vibrator was carefully adjusted so that the contactor pressed 1.0 mm into the skin of the thenar eminence. During testing, the sound of the vibrator was masked by narrowband noise centered at the test frequency and delivered through earphones.Vibrotactile detection thresholds were determined for 12 men and 12 women using a Bekesy automatic recording ...

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“…A low discriminative capacity is associated with relative insensitivity to 82 noxious stimulation and indicates an attenuation of neural activity in the sensory system (Clark & 83 Mehl, 1971). The response criterion is independent from discriminability and locates the person's 84 overall tendency to report pain; a high value indicates a stoical attitude (Clark & Mehl, 1971). The 85 response criterion and thermal pain threshold (TPT) were shown to be inversely correlated with the 86 D2/D3 Binding Potential (BP) in the right putamen in healthy volunteers, whereas the sensory 87 discriminative capacity was not significantly correlated with the D2/D3 BP in any striatal region 88 .…”

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confidence: 99%

Relation of dopamine receptor 2 binding to pain perception in female fibromyalgia patients with and without depression – A [ 11 C] raclopride PET-study

Ledermann

Jenewein

Sprott

et al. 2016

European Neuropsychopharmacology

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36Dopamine D2/D3 receptor availability at rest and its association with individual pain perception was 37 investigated using the [ 11 C] raclopride PET-method in 24 female Fibromyalgia (FMS) participants 38 with (FMS+, N=11) and without (FMS-, N=13) comorbid depression and in 17 healthy women. 39Thermal pain thresholds (TPT) and pain responses were assessed outside the scanner. We compared 40 the discriminative capacity, i.e. the individual's capacity to discriminate between lower and higher 41 pain intensities and the response criterion, i.e. the subject's tendency to report pain during noxious

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Thermal pain: A sensory decision theory analysis of the effect of age and sex on d', various response criteria, and 50% pain threshold.

Cited by 125 publications

References 22 publications

The detectability, discriminability, and perceived magnitude of painful electrical shock

The detectability, discriminability, and perceived magnitude of painful electrical shock

Comparison of vibrotactile threshold and suprathreshold responses in men and women

Relation of dopamine receptor 2 binding to pain perception in female fibromyalgia patients with and without depression – A [ 11 C] raclopride PET-study

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