The influence of threat expectancy upon attentional biases for pain-related information and pain thresholds was explored in healthy participants. Participants were randomized to receive either threatening (n = 32) or nonthreatening (n = 31) information regarding an upcoming computerized task assessing cold and heat pain thresholds. Participants receiving threatening information were more worried about the pain task and, relative to those receiving nonthreatening information, showed attentional bias toward sensory-pain words. No between-group differences were found in terms of cold and heat pain thresholds. These results show that the type of information participants receive can influence their attentional processes and emotional concerns.
BarnesLLBHarpDJungWS (2002) Reliability generalization of scores on the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Educational and Psychological Measurement62: 603–618.
2.
BeckATSteerRABrownGK (1996) Manual for the Beck Depression Inventory-II. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.
3.
BostonASharpeL (2005) The role of threat-expectancy in acute pain: Effects on attentional bias, coping strategy effectiveness and response to pain. Pain119: 168–175.
4.
CruccuGTruiniA (2009) Tools for assessing neuropathic pain. PLoS Medicine6(4): e1000045.
5.
DemierreMCastelaoEPiot-ZieglerC (2011) The long and painful path towards arthroplasty: A qualitative study. Journal of Health Psychology16: 549–560.
6.
ErdfelderEFaulFBuchnerA (1996) GPOWER: A general power analysis program. Behavior Research Methods Instruments & Computers28: 1–11.
7.
GyurcsikNCBrawleyLRSpinkKS. (2011) Is level of pain acceptance differentially related to social cognitions and behavior? The case of active women with arthritis. Journal of Health Psychology16: 530–539.
8.
KeoghECochraneM (2002) Anxiety sensitivity, cognitive biases, and the experience of pain. The Journal of Pain3(4): 320–329.
9.
KeoghEDillionCGeorgiouG. (2001a) Selective attentional biases for physical threat in physical anxiety sensitivity. Journal of Anxiety Disorders15: 299–315.
KeoghEThompsonTHannentI (2003) Selective attentional bias, conscious awareness and the fear of pain. Pain104(1–2): 85–91.
12.
LangEVHatsiopoulouOKochT. (2005) Can words hurt? Patient–provider interactions during invasive procedures. Pain114: 303–309.
13.
LiossiCSchothDEBradleyBP. (2009) Time course of attentional bias for pain-related cues in chronic daily headache sufferers. European Journal of Pain13: 963–969.
14.
LiossiCWhitePSchothDE (2011) Time-course of attentional bias for threat-related cues in patients with chronic daily headache-tension type: Evidence for the role of anger. European Journal of Pain15: 92–98.
15.
McGowanNSharpeLRefshaugeK. (2009) The effect of attentional re-training and threat expectancy in response to acute pain. Pain142: 101–107.
16.
McNeilDWRainwaterAJ (1998) Development of the Fear of Pain Questionnaire III. Journal of Behavioural Medicine21(4): 389–410.
17.
MagerlWKrumovaEKBaronR. (2010) Reference data for quantitative sensory testing (QST): Refined stratification for age and a novel method for statistical comparison of group data. Pain151(3): 598–605.
18.
Neurobehavioural Sciences. Presentation® [Computer software]. Available at: www.neurobs.com
ÖhmanAMinekaS (2001) Fears, phobias and preparedness: Toward an evolved module of fear and fear learning. Psychological Review108(3): 483–522.
21.
ÖhmanAFlyktAEstevesF (2001) Emotion drives attention: Detecting the snake in the grass. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General130(3): 466–478.
22.
OngLMDe HaesJCHoosAM. (1995) Doctor-patient communication: A review of the literature. Social Science & Medicine40(7): 903–918.
23.
PetersonRAReissS (1992) Anxiety Sensitivity Index Manual (2nd edn). OH: International Diagnostic Systems.
24.
PincusTMorleyS (2001) Cognitive-processing bias in chronic pain: A review and integration. Psychological Bulletin127(5): 599–617.
25.
RodriguezBFBruceSEPaganoME. (2004) Factor structure and stability of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index in a longitudinal study of anxiety disorder patients. Behaviour Research and Therapy42: 79–91.
26.
RoelofsJPetersMLDeutzJ. (2005) The Fear of Pain Questionnaire (FPQ): Further psychometric examination in a non-clinical sample. Pain116(3): 339–346.
27.
RoelofsJPetersMLVan der ZijdenM. (2003) Selective attention and avoidance of pain-related stimuli: A dot-probe evaluation in a pain-free population. The Journal of Pain4(6): 322–328.
28.
RolkeRBaronRMaierC. (2006) Quantitative sensory testing in the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain (DFNS): Standardized protocol and reference values. Pain123: 231–243.
29.
SalmonsTVJohnsonTBackonjaM-M. (2004) Perceived controllability modulates the neural response to pain. The Journal of Neuroscience24: 7199–7203.
30.
SchothDELiossiC (2010) Attentional bias towards pictorial representations of pain in individuals with chronic headache. Clinical Journal of Pain26: 244–250.
31.
SchothDELiossiC (in press) Specificity and time course of attentional bias in chronic headache: A visual-probe investigation. The Clinical Journal of Pain.
32.
SchothDENunesVLiossiC (2012) Attentional bias towards pain-related information in chronic pain; a meta-analysis of visual-probe investigations. Clinical Psychology Review32(1): 13–25.
33.
SegalDLCoolidgeFLCahillBS. (2008) Psychometric properties of the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) among community-dwelling older adults. Behaviour Modification32(1): 3–20.
34.
SharpeLPerryKNRogersP. (2010) A comparison of the effect of attention training and relaxation on responses to pain. Pain150: 469–476.
35.
ShyMEFrohmanEMSoYT. (2003) Quantitative sensory testing: Report of the Therapeutics and Technology Assessment Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology. Neurology60(6): 898–904.
TsaoJCIAllenLBEvansS. (2009) Anxiety sensitivity and catastrophizing: Associations with pain and somatization in non-clinical children. Journal of Health Psychology14: 1085–1094.
38.
UrbaniakGCPlousS (2011) Research randomizer (version 3.0) [Computer software]. Available at: http://www.randomizer.org/ (accessed 23 February 2011).
39.
Van DammeSCrombezGEcclestonC. (2004a) Impaired disengagement from threatening cues of impending pain in a cross-modal cueing paradigm. European Journal of Pain8: 227–236.
40.
Van DammeSLorenzJEcclestonC. (2004b) Fear-conditioned cues of impending pain facilitate attentional engagement. Neurophysiologie Clinique34: 33–39.
