Concerning the homology of painful experiences and pain descriptors: a multidimensional scaling analysis

Abstract

Hos is the sensory (or other) experience of pain related to the words used to describe such experiences? Answering this question would not only improve our general understanding of the relationship between the experience of pain and the report of pain, but also would allow one to quantify inaccuracies or idiosyncracies in this regard. A continuous multidimensional scaling model was used to examine the similarity between noxious electrocutaneous stimuli and the words used to describe them. If these two types of stimulus objects were homologous, one would expect that physical and verbal stimuli with the same meaning would be scaled with similar values along a single dimension; if not, the two types of stimuli would be scaled at opposite poles of a dimension which distinguished between them. Twenty-five subjects rated the similarity of all pairs of 16 stimulus objects: 8 electrocutaneous stimuli (3–235 mW) and 8 verbal descriptors of such stimulation (from Slight Sensation to Severe Pain). A single dimension in the group stimulus space scaled both physical and verbal stimulus objects from least to greatest intensity. Since this (or any higher) dimension failed to segregate verbal from physical stimuli, the words appear to be homologous with experiences. While conclusions are limited to these specific stimuli, results suggest that the INDSCAL model offers a valuable method for exploring the relationship between pain report and pain experience.