Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
Eur J Pain. 2011 Sep;15(8):866-73. doi: 10.1016/j.ejpain.2011.01.009. Epub 2011 Mar 11.
Although many studies have investigated the effectiveness of distraction as a method of pain control, the cognitive processes by which attentional re-direction is achieved, remain unclear. In this study the role of executive functioning abilities (inhibition, task switching and working memory) in the effectiveness of distraction is investigated. We hypothesized that the effectiveness of distraction in terms of pain reduction would be larger in participants with better executive functioning abilities. Ninety-one undergraduate students first performed executive functioning tasks, and subsequently participated in a cold pressor task (CPT). Participants were randomly assigned to (1) a distraction group, in which an attention-demanding tone-detection task was performed during the CPT, or (2) a control group, in which no distraction task was performed. Participants in the distraction group reported significantly less pain during the CPT, but the pain experience was not influenced by executive functioning abilities. However, the performance on the distraction task improved with better inhibition abilities, indicating that inhibition abilities might be important in focussing on a task despite the pain.
虽然许多研究都调查了分心作为一种疼痛控制方法的有效性，但注意力重新定向的认知过程仍不清楚。在这项研究中，研究了执行功能能力（抑制、任务转换和工作记忆）在分心有效性中的作用。我们假设，在减轻疼痛方面，分心的有效性在执行功能能力较好的参与者中更大。91 名本科生首先执行执行功能任务，然后参加冷压测试（CPT）。参与者被随机分配到（1）分心组，在 CPT 期间执行一项需要注意力的音调检测任务，或（2）对照组，在 CPT 期间不执行分心任务。分心组的参与者在 CPT 期间报告的疼痛明显减轻，但疼痛体验不受执行功能能力的影响。然而，分心任务的表现随着更好的抑制能力而提高，这表明抑制能力可能对于在疼痛下专注于任务很重要。
