None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
This study will investigate the effect of modifying interpretations of ambiguous faces on performance of a painful task. Specifically, we will compare how effective training participants to interpret an ambiguous facial expression as happy compared to painful. We are interested to know whether this training is more effective when instructions are explicit versus implicit.
Interventions
The intervention is a computerized task. Participants are either trained to interpret ambiguous tasks as painful or happy; and are either trained implicitly or explicitly. So, there are four arms: Arm 1: An implicit task where ambiguous faces are followed by a target that appears where the target was previously replaced by the painful face. Arm 2: An implicit task where ambiguous faces are followed by a target that appears where the target was previously replaced by the happy face. Arm 3: An exp
The intervention is a computerized task. Participants are either trained to interpret ambiguous tasks as painful or happy; and are either trained implicitly or explicitly. So, there are four arms: Arm 1: An implicit task where ambiguous faces are followed by a target that appears where the target was previously replaced by the painful face. Arm 2: An implicit task where ambiguous faces are followed by a target that appears where the target was previously replaced by the happy face. Arm 3: An explicit task where participants are asked to indicate if they consider the ambiguous face to be happy or painful and are given feedback that they are incorrect if they choose happy and correct if they choose painful. and Arm 4:An explicit task where participants are asked to indicate if they consider the ambiguous face to be happy or painful and are given feedback that they are incorrect if they choose painful and correct if they choose happy. Each of the four arms administers a single one-off computerized training that lasts 20-30 minutes and the cold pressor is the outcome not part of the intervention.
Sponsors
The University of Sydney
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Factorial
Primary purpose
Educational / counselling / training
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
First year psychology students
Exclusion criteria
Raynauld's phenomena, epilepsy, pain disorders, heart conditions.
Outcome results
None listed