Self-observation as a source of pain perception.

The hypothesis was tested that an individual's perception of a stimulus as uncomfortable or painful is partially an inference from his own observation of his response to that stimulus. Ss were required to observe themselves cither escaping or enduring a series of electric shocks, all of the same physical intensity. As predicted, Ss rated the felt discomfort produced by the shocks to be greater in the "escape" condition than in the "no-escape" condition. Appropriate controls and auxiliary data helped to rule out alternative explanations of the obtained difference, and the record of Ss' galvanic skin responses suggested that actual physiological arousal was not serving as the basis for the Ss' discomfort ratings.