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Updated: Aug 12, 2026

An Experimental Paradigm for the Prediction of Post-Operative Pain (PPOP)
Published on: January 27, 2010
Cognitive control of pain: four serendipitous results
Abstract:
The experiment was designed to determine whether specific cognitive strategies are effective in reducing pain. Subjects were tested either on cold pain or pressure pain. Although the cognitive strategies did not significantly alter pain tolerance or pain intensity, the following four findings emerged: (a) males and females responded in a similar manner to the painful stimuli, (b) both the experimental subjects and the controls had surprisingly high tolerance of pain, (c) subjects typically generated their own thoughts and images to control pain, and (d) subjects responded to cold pain and to pressure pain in a similar manner.
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E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...

