Cortical processing of pain : a bridge between experimental findings and clinical implications

Pain is a subjective experience. This means that not only psychical factors, but also psychological, cognitive, social and environmental factors influence the way pain is perceived. This subjective character makes direct measurement of pain impossible. Pain Event-Related Potentials (pain-ERP) represent the cortical response to pain and are thought to be a more objective measure compared to self-report measures such as Visual Analogue Scales. However, the pain-ERP is a rather complex measure which contains considerable variability. This variability most probably is caused by other (pain-related) information which needs to be identified. This thesis discusses the use of Event-Related Potentials in pain research. More specifically, it discusses methodological concerns and ideas about unravelling the pain-ERP

The mediating role of sympathy in the relationship between media violence and Dutch adolescents' social behaviors

Previous research suggests that empathy could serve as a mediator in the relation between media violence exposure and social behavior (i.e., aggressive and prosocial behavior). However, conceptualizations of empathy are diverse and empirical findings are mixed. Theory as well as previous research suggests that sympathy, more than empathy, may explain how media violence can affect youths’ aggressive or prosocial behavior. The present study formally tests this assumption using a three-wave longitudinal design with 878 early adolescents. Although neither sympathy nor empathy provided a significant indirect pathway between media violence and social behavior, the findings do show that sympathy is more strongly related to media violence and social behavior than empathy Methodological challenges and suggestions for future research are discussed