ABSTRACT
Overt and subjective responses to pain-producing stimulation appear to be partially determined by cognitive factors. H. K. Beecher found that soldiers evacuated from battle areas complained very little about their severe wounds, reported very little pain, and refused pain-relieving drugs, while civilians with equally severe wounds complained bitterly about their injuries, reported much pain, and almost always asked for pain-relieving medications. All subjects in the experiment were first given a "drug" and then were exposed to a pain stimulus. Furthermore, the subjective reports of hypnotic subjects appear to be closely related to the wording of the test-suggestions. The importance of cognitive factors was also illustrated by P. G. Zimbardo, A. R. Cohen, M. Weisenberg, L. Dworkin, and I. Firestone. Studies demonstrating that responses to noxious stimuli are reduced by instructions or suggestions given under hypnosis also point to the effects of cognitive processes on pain.
