The effect of visual cognition on the fear caused by pain recall

Abstract

In this study, we investigated ‘pain recall’ that results from showing a painful image and evoking pain without actually giving any pain, that is said to be similar to the brain activity that actually causes pain. The experiment involved 12 students showing three short videos in which a child, a female, or a male was being injected. We measured the degree of emotional changes by watching the painful scene in three ways: emotion estimation by facial expression, GSR (Galvanic Skin Response) and Eye tracking. The results showed that subjects felt the same fear and tension as when feeling pain. On the other hand, subjects felt less painful emotions when they looked at the scene that a man with solid arms was injected. The degree of emotion in pain recall varied depending on who received the injection in the short videos. These results suggest that pain may be reduced by showing some body images as visual information. It is possible to alleviate actual pain by applying how to reduce ‘pain recall’.