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MONEY VERSUS PAIN: EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF A CONFLICT IN HUMANS
Author(s) -
Cabanac M.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
journal of the experimental analysis of behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1938-3711
pISSN - 0022-5002
DOI - 10.1901/jeab.1986.46-37
Subject(s) - isometric exercise , sensation , heart rate , medicine , duration (music) , payment , physical therapy , blood pressure , session (web analytics) , audiology , anesthesia , psychology , physical medicine and rehabilitation , computer science , physics , neuroscience , world wide web , acoustics
Ten healthy human males volunteered to be subjects in an experiment in which they were to be paid to endure a painful sensation. This sensation was produced by isometric muscular contraction in the thighs. For each of six sessions the subjects received either a payment that was changed for each session (0.2, 0.5, 1.25, 3.125, 7.8125 French francs per 20 s) or a lump sum. At the beginning of a session, the subjects assumed a seated position against a wall, but without a seat, and the duration for which they could hold this position was the chief variable measured. Heart rate, blood pressure, and magnitude estimation of pain were also recorded periodically throughout each session. Pain was reported after a mean delay of 15 ± 7 s ( SE ), and the magnitude estimates then increased linearly with time. The duration of maintaining the painful position increased linearly in relation to the logarithm of the increase in the amount of payment. Thus, utility of money decreased when pitted against pain.