Deyo Kathleen S, Prkachin Kenneth M, Mercer Susan R
Department of Psychology, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada V2N 4Z9.
Pain. 2004 Jan;107(1-2):16-21. doi: 10.1016/s0304-3959(03)00263-x.
The ability to perceive pain in others is an important human capacity. Its development has not been studied. The present study examined the development of sensitivity to evidence of pain from childhood to early adulthood. One hundred and thirty-four males and females from four age groups (5-6, 8-9, 11-12 years and young adult) took part. They judged the amount of pain displayed on videotaped excerpts of the facial expressions of pain patients. Excerpts were selected to display no pain, some pain and strong pain, based on facial measurements, and were displayed to participants in a signal-detection paradigm. All participant groups were more sensitive to evidence of strong than some pain. The ability to detect pain expressions increased across the young, middle and older groups of children, but older children did not differ from adults. Increasing age was generally associated with increasing sensitivity to more subtle facial signs of pain. The results indicate that the ability to perceive pain in others is already significantly developed by the ages of five to six, but refinements in the ability continue through to early adulthood. These findings represent the first description of the development of the ability to perceive pain in others. Important areas for future research into the neurobiological, personal and social determinants of this ability are highlighted.
感知他人疼痛的能力是一项重要的人类能力。其发展情况尚未得到研究。本研究考察了从童年到成年早期对疼痛证据的敏感度的发展。来自四个年龄组（5 - 6岁、8 - 9岁、11 - 12岁和青年成年人）的134名男性和女性参与了研究。他们对疼痛患者面部表情的录像片段所显示的疼痛程度进行判断。根据面部测量结果，选取了显示无疼痛、轻微疼痛和强烈疼痛的片段，并以信号检测范式展示给参与者。所有参与组对强烈疼痛证据的敏感度都高于轻微疼痛。在儿童的幼年、中年和老年组中，检测疼痛表情的能力有所提高，但年龄较大的儿童与成年人没有差异。年龄增长通常与对更细微的疼痛面部迹象的敏感度增加相关。结果表明，感知他人疼痛的能力在5到6岁时就已显著发展，但这种能力的完善会持续到成年早期。这些发现首次描述了感知他人疼痛能力的发展情况。文中强调了未来对这种能力的神经生物学、个人和社会决定因素进行研究的重要领域。
