Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Thresholds for pressure pain were tested in 64 adult human subjects (age: M = 22.0 yr., SD = 7.5). The subjects were young adults drawn from a student population. They were divided into two groups of men and two groups of women, with 16 participants in each group. A female experimenter tested one group of men and a male experimenter tested the other group. The women were tested in a similar way by an experimenter of the same sex for one group and the opposite sex for the other group. The two experimenters were dressed in a manner that emphasised their gender roles. The men tested by a female experimenter showed a higher average pain threshold than the men tested by a male experimenter, but there was no difference in the average pain thresholds of the two groups of women.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Berkley

K. J.

Sex differences in pain. Behavior and Brain Science, 1997, 20, 371–380.

Kallai

Barke

, & Voss

The effects of experimenter characteristics on pain reports in women and men. Pain, 2004, 112, 142–147.

Keele

K. D.

Pain-sensitivity tests: the pressure algometer. Lancet, 1954, 1, 636–639.

Lamey

P. J.

Clifford

Gijsbers

, & Nicholson

Measurement of dental pain and associated anxiety: importance of procedure of assessment. The Pain Clinic, 1996, 9, 15–22.

Lautenbacher

, & Rollman

G. B.

Sex differences in responsiveness to painful and non-painful stimuli are dependent upon the stimulation method. Pain, 1993, 53, 255–264.

Levine

F. M.

, & De Simone

L. L.

The effects of experimenter gender on pain report in male and female subjects. Pain, 1991, 44, 6–72.

Melzack

The McGill Pain Questionnaire: major properties and scoring methods. Pain, 1975, 1, 277–299.

Otto

M. W.

, & Dougher

M. J.

Sex differences and personality factors in responsivity to pain. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1985, 61, 383–390.

Riley

J. L.

III Robinson

M. E.

Wise

E. A.

Myers

C. D.

, & Fillinghim

R. B.

Sex differences in the perception of noxious experimental stimuli: a meta-analysis. Pain, 1998, 74, 181–187.

10.

Riley

J. L.

III Robinson

M. E.

Wise

E. A.

, & Price

D. D.

A meta-analytic review of pain perception across the menstrual cycle. Pain, 1999, 81, 225–235.

11.

Unruh

A. M.

Gender variations in clinical pain experience. Pain, 1996, 65, 123–167.

Experimental Pain Thresholds Influenced by Sex of Experimenter

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References